Association of CRP Levels in 3rd Trimester with Fetal Birth Weight in Normotensive and Preeclamptic Pregnant Females

Abstract

Aim: To assess the level of C-reactive protein, which is an inflammatory marker, in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and with normal blood pressure, and to assess its relationship with fetal weight at birth. Study design: An analytical and Cross-sectional study. Place and duration of study: In the Obstetrics and Gynecology department of Chandka Medical Hospital, Larkana and Murshid Hospital, Karachi for nine months duration from January to September 2021. Methodology: A total 70 cases of pre-eclampsia and 70 pregnant women with normal blood pressure participated, all in the 3rd trimester of gestation. All females were in the 20-40 years of age group and had a BMI ranging from 18 to 25. Highly sensitive levels of C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were evaluated using the Enzyme Link immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS program 20.0. The values were taken as significant at the significance level of 0.05. Results: C-reactive protein levels were significantly advanced in the pre-eclampsia group with a mean value of 8.4 (0.4 to 24.2) compared to 5.1 (0.21 to 10.1) mg / L in women with normal blood pressure (p-value <0.001). Spearman's correlation coefficient between birth weight and CRP was -0.405 in the pre-eclampsia group (p = 0.001) and 0.118 in the normal blood pressure group. In the group with pre-eclampsia, the birth weights of children were also significantly lower. High CRP levels in the preeclampsia group were negatively correlated with fetal birth weight. Conclusions: High levels of C-reactive protein in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia are part of the excessive systemic maternal inflammatory response and are associated with low fetal weight. Keywords: Pre-eclampsia. C-reactive protein. Pregnancy. Third trimester