Gülhane Tıp Dergisi (Dec 2023)
Association between plasma fluoride levels and pregnancy complications in women living in the rural and urban areas of Settat-Morocco
Abstract
Aims:This study aimed to investigate the relationship between plasma fluoride levels and pregnancy complications among rural and urban women living in the Settat province of Morocco, where fluorosis is endemic.Methods:This cross-sectional study included pregnant women permanently residing in the province of Settat who visited the Provincial Hospital Hassan II. A close-ended questionnaire was completed to verify the presence or absence of pregnancy complications, including abortion, fetal and neonatal complications, diabetes mellitus, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. In addition, blood was collected from all participants and fluoride levels were determined.Results:The sample included 511 rural (43.8%) and urban (56.2%) pregnant women with a mean age of 26.9±6.1 years. The prevalence of pregnancy complications was significantly higher in rural pregnant women (abortion=13.2%; fetal and neonatal complications=4.8%; pregnancy induced-hypertension=1.4%) than in urban areas (abortion=6.7%; fetal and neonatal complications=2.2%; pregnancy induced-hypertension=0.9%) (p<0.05). Plasma fluoride levels were also significantly higher in rural participants with a means of 0.036±0.009 mg/L than in urban areas with a means of 0.034±0.008 mg/L (p<0.05). However, in both rural and urban participants, the results showed that there was no correlation between plasma fluoride levels and abortion (r=0.068; p=0.247), fetal and neonatal complications (r=-0.008; p=0.890), diabetes mellitus (r=-0.018; p=0.975) and pregnancy induced-hypertension (r=-0.063; p=0.285).Conclusions:Higher plasma fluoride levels were found in rural pregnant women than in urban ones. However, no significant correlation was found between plasma fluoride levels and the studied pregnancy complications, despite their higher prevalence in rural women.
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