Abstract:
Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is a significant complication affecting maternal
and foetal health. Identifying a reliable predictive marker for early prediction and
diagnosis is crucial for effective management and prevention of adverse outcomes.
This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of serum creatinine as a
predictive marker for hypertensive disorders in pregnant women. An analytical cross-
sectional study was designed, and the population was categorized based on blood
pressure readings, where 34 pregnant women with normal blood pressure (BP) and
34 pregnant women with PIH (140/90 mmHg on two or more occasion and without
proteinuria). Serum creatinine levels were measured by Jaffe alkaline picric acid kinetic
method. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was employed to determine
the diagnostic performance. The mean serum creatinine level was significantly (p<0.001)
higher in pregnant women with PIH than in pregnant women with normal BP [0.76
(± 0.17) vs 0.53 (± 0.06) mg/dL respectively]. The area under curve (AUC) of serum
creatinine was 0.950 (sensitivity: 91.2% and specificity: 85.3%) with the cut-off point
of 0.585 mg/dL. The finding was evident that serum creatinine is a strong predictor
for hypertensive disorders in pregnant women, with significantly higher levels in those
with PIH. The study revealed the importance of monitoring serum creatinine levels in
pregnant women with PIH for early identification of hypertensive disorders, supporting
its use in clinical practice for risk stratification. Despite the significant findings, further
research is warranted with more samples to determine the broader applicability of
serum creatinine as a universal predictive marker across diverse populations.
