Serum Calcium Levels in Pre-eclamptic and Normal Pregnancies

Abstract

Background: Pre-eclampsia presents significant management problems for every obstetrician. While the cause remains unknown, dietary deficiency has been suggested. The study aimed to compare serum calcium levels in pre-eclamptic and normotensive pregnant women. Methodology: It was a comparative cross-sectional study of pre-eclamptics and normotensive pregnant women. A total of 50 pre-eclamptic and 50 normal pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic were enrolled for the study. Blood samples of the women were collected and analysed for serum calcium. The laboratory estimation of calcium was done using the spectrophotometer method. The mean serum calcium of women in the two groups were compared using the student’s t-test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of the pre-eclamptic group was 27.4 + 2.7 years. The mean age of the control group was 28.3 + 2.9 years. The mean serum calcium level of the pre-eclamptic group was 2.30 + 0.14 mmol/l while that of the normotensive control group was 2.34 + 0.21 mmol/l. This difference was not statistically significant. (P=0.2652: t=1.1207, df=98,). Conclusion: There is no significant difference between the mean serum calcium levels between pre-eclamptic women and healthy normotensive controls.