Serum antioxidant micronutrient levels in pre-eclamptic pregnant women in Enugu, south-East Nigeria: a comparative cross-sectional analytical study

Joseph Tochukwu Enebe,George Uchenna Eleje,Emmanuel Onyebuchi Ugwu,Cyril Chukwudi Dim,Uchenna Ifeanyi Nwagha,Nympha Onyinye Enebe,Kingsley Chukwu Obioha,Ijeoma Angela Meka

doi:10.1186/s12884-020-03081-w

Abstract

BackgroundPre-eclampsia is a common obstetric complication of pregnancy in Nigeria, and oxidative stress has been implicated in its aetiopathogenesis. Despite this fact, there is a paucity of information regarding the serum antioxidant micronutrient status of pre-eclamptic Nigerian women. The objective of the was to determine the mean serum levels of some antioxidant trace elements (copper, zinc, selenium, magnesium, manganese) in pre-eclamptic pregnant women and compare with that of healthy pregnant women in Enugu, South-Eastern, Nigeria.MethodsA cross-sectional analytical study was carried out at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department of the University of Nigeria, Teaching Hospital Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu. Using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, the sera of 81 pregnant pre-eclamptic and 81 matched healthy pregnant controls were analyzed for the antioxidant micronutrients. Both descriptive and inferential analysis was performed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 and a P value of < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.ResultsThe mean serum levels of copper, selenium, and magnesium were found to be significantly lower in the pre-eclamptic pregnant group when compared to the healthy pregnant controls (p < 0.05). The mean serum levels of zinc and manganese did not differ between the two groups (p > 0.05). All the mean serum levels of micro-nutrients studied did not vary by category of pre-eclampsia (with or without severity findings) except manganese which was significantly lower in pre-eclamptic women without severity findings when compared to those with severity findings (p = 0.043).ConclusionsThe serum levels of copper, selenium, and magnesium were significantly lower among pre-eclamptics when compared to their normal healthy controls. Low levels of selenium, copper, and magnesium may have contributed to the incidence of pre-eclampsia in our environment.

Highlights

Pre-eclampsia is a common obstetric complication of pregnancy in Nigeria, and oxidative stress has been implicated in its aetiopathogenesis
Pre-eclampsia is the onset of hypertension accompanied with proteinuria and/or evidence of maternal acute kidney injury (AKI), liver dysfunction, neurological features, haemolysis or thrombocytopaenia, or fetal growth restriction after mid-pregnancy in a previously normotensive woman, and this condition resolves completely by the sixth week after delivery [1, 2]
Very few participants were recruited at the extremes of the reproductive ages; only one participant (1.2%) per group for age group of 40 years and above and 2 participants (2.5%) per group for < 20 years age group

Summary

Introduction

Pre-eclampsia is a common obstetric complication of pregnancy in Nigeria, and oxidative stress has been implicated in its aetiopathogenesis. Pre-eclampsia is the onset of hypertension accompanied with proteinuria and/or evidence of maternal acute kidney injury (AKI), liver dysfunction, neurological features, haemolysis or thrombocytopaenia, or fetal growth restriction after mid-pregnancy in a previously normotensive woman, and this condition resolves completely by the sixth week after delivery [1, 2]. It is a transient systemic condition, that can be fatal in pregnancy. It is one of the most common indications for elective delivery which serves as a treatment for the disease

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