STUDY OF RELATIONSHIP OF URIC ACID WITH PROGRESSION TO PRE-ECLAMPSIA AND DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERSE CONDITIONS IN PREGNANCIES HAVING GESTATIONAL HYPERTENSION

Background- One of the serious complication during pregnancy is Pre-eclampsia whose most common clinical presentation is gestational hypertension(GH). However, the research available on the clinical risk factors related with development of pre-eclampsia from gestational hypertension is not enough. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of serum uric acid as a risk factors with development of pre-eclampsia from gestational hypertension and progression of severe infant condition. Methods- It was a retrospective cohort study conducted in Fatima Memorial Hospital lahore from March 2018 to Jan 2020 in which total 249 pregnant women with Gestational Hypertension were selected. Serum Uric Acid levels were obtained at the time of presentation in All these selected subjects. All selected patients were kept in observation for examining the development of pre-eclampsia from gestational hypertension and progression of severe infant condition. Results- The subjects who had initial symptoms of gestational hypertension had high level of serum uric acid as compared to normal pregnant women (5.06 vs. 4.59 mg/dl, P < 0.01). At initial appearance of gestational hypertension, higher level of uric acid, lower gestational age and need of antihypertensive drug for Blood Pressure (B.P) management were associated with progression of severe infant or maternal conditions and development of pre-eclampsia. It was observed that if level of uric acid increase by one standard dev. the risk of pre-eclampsia progression increased by 2.3-folds and the risk of development of severe conditions in infant or mother increased by 1.5-folds. Conclusion- It was concluded that if in gestational hypertension the level of uric acid increases , it may indicate the high risk of development of severe infant or maternal condition and progression to pre-eclampsia. Keywords: Uric acid, progression, preeclampsia, hypertension, gestational hypertension, blood pressure, adverse conditions