Study on the correlation between maternal serum uric acid and foetal birth weight in Naqu, Tibet

Abstract

In high-altitude regions, low birth weight is mainly caused by hypoxia. We aimed to determine whether maternal serum uric acid (SUC) level was associated with decreased foetal birth weight. The relevant data of individual pregnant women who delivered between 37 and 40 weeks in the People’s Hospital of Naqu City, Tibet were retrospectively collected. The correlation between maternal SUC and birth weight was examined using multivariate linear regression analysis and subgroup analysis. The results showed that there was a significant negative correlation between SUC and birth weight in pregnant women with proteinuria, female foetuses, and primiparas. Fitting smoothing curve analysis showed that there was a negative linear correlation between SUC and birth weight in primiparas and female foetuses. Maternal SUC is negatively associated with foetal birth weight in a single pregnancy with proteinuria, primipara, or female foetuses in the Naqu region of Tibet, China.IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Preeclampsia associated with hyperuricaemia can affect foetal birth weight, foetal birth weight in plains area is negatively correlated with maternal hyperuricaemia. What do the results of this study add? Maternal SUC was negatively correlated with foetal birth weight, especially in primipara, mothers with proteinuria, and pregnant girls. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The results suggest that attention should be paid to SUC in pregnant women, especially in primipara, mothers with proteinuria, and pregnant girls, in the prevention of low birth weight infants in Naqu Plateau area of Tibet.

Keywords

• serum uric acid
• birth weight
• proteinuria
• highlands
• hyperuricaemia