MATERNAL FASTING BLOOD LIPIDS: A MARKER OF SEVERITY OF PRE-ECLAMPSIA IN JOS, NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA

Abstract

Background: Pre-eclampsia is a common medical disorder of pregnancy, in Nigeria, and has been reported to be characterized by blood lipid derangements with oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Objective Methods and materials: This was comparative cross-sectional study, amongst women with Preeclampsia. Fasting venous blood samples were taken into plain vacuitainers and analyzed in batches after -----days for serum lipids using Cobas C-III Roche auto analyzer machine. The data were analysed using Epi-info version 3.5.4 The duration of study was for about seven month's period Results: The mean serum levels of triglycerides in mild pre-eclampsia was1.13±0.50mmo/L, while in severe pre-eclampsia=2.22±0.92mmo/L, p-value=0.00001. Other lipid components: Total cholesterol, High density lipoprotein, Low density lipoprotein were not significantly different in the two studied groups (p>0.005) Multiple linear regressions model revealed serum triglycerides had the highest standardized absolute coefficient of 0.332 and lead value of 0.591. Conclusion: Serum triglycerides alone, appear to be a significant predictor of severity of pre-eclampsia; hence can serve as a surveillance tool during conservative management of pre-eclampsia.