Serum Calcium Levels in Preeclampsia

Objectives: To determine the serum calcium levels in mild and severe preeclampsia and compare it with normal pregnancy. Methods: It was a comparative cross sectional study. Thirty five normotensive pregnant women, n=30 women with mild preeclampsia and n=70 with severe preeclampsia were recruited at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Hospital. The serum calcium was measured and levels were compared among three groups. The data was analysed on SPSS v. 20. Results: The gestational age was more in the normal pregnancy compared to mild and severe preeclampsia (38.7±2.1 vs 36.7±3.6 and 36.2±2.8, p-value=0.0002). The calcium concentration was less in the both groups of preeclampsia i.e., 8.41± 0.96 mg/dl in mild and 8.02± 0.77 mg/dl in severe preeclampsia vs 9.2± 0.32 mg/dl in normal pregnant women, (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: We found lower levels of serum calcium in preeclampsia, suggesting its possible role in pathogenesis. Further studies to investigate the potential role of dietary supplementation of micronutrients during pregnancy are recommended.