The relation between serum uric acid and severity of preeclampsia in pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

Introduction
There are conflicting data regarding the relation between serum uric acid (SUA) and severity of preeclampsia (PE). The aim of the study was to assess the relation between SUA and the severity of PE.

Material and methods
A total of 110 pregnant women were studied; 55 with mild PE were compared to 55 women with severe PE in this cross-sectional study, which was conducted in Maternity Hospital. After thorough evaluation and renal function tests, spot urine samples were taken from participants for the protein/creatinine ratio. The urine proteins were measured by the Biuret colorimetric method. The urine creatinine was measured by the modified Jaffe test. The serum uric acid was measured by the enzymatic method. The collected participants’ data were statistically analysed, and Pearson’s coefficient was used to detect the relation between SUA and severity of PE.

Results
The serum uric acid was significantly higher in the severe PE group (7.65 ±0.61 mg/dl) compared to the mild PE group (5.26 ±0.79 mg/dl), (p = 0.04). There were significant positive relations between the SUA and both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures [r = 0.27 (p = 0.045) and r = 0.483 (p < 0.001), respectively] in the severe PE group. There were also significant positive relations between the SUA and both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures [r = 0.359 (p = 0.007) and r = 0.429 (p = 0.001), respectively] in the mild PE group.

Conclusions
There were significant positive relations between the SUA and both the systolic and dia­stolic blood pressures in the severe PE group. This study recommends the use of SUA as a reliable marker of the severity of PE.