Association between Serum Levels of N-terminal Pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide and Severity of Preeclampsia

Abstract

Background and purpose: Preeclampsia is a serious condition in pregnancy. Previous studies have shown that NT-pro BNP level is higher in preeclamptic patients than that in pregnant women with normal blood pressure. Severity of preeclampsia is one of the critical factors in managing patients, so, this study aimed at investigating the relationship between the level of NT-pro BNP and severity of preeclampsia. Materials and methods: In this descriptive study, three groups of pregnant women with normal blood pressure (n= 29), non-severe preeclampsia (n= 30), and severe preeclampsia (n=31) were included. Diagnostic criteria and classification of preeclampsia were based on the guideline for hypertension in pregnancy by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2013. The level of NT-pro BNP was measured by ELISA. Data analysis was done applying t-test, fisher test, Kruskal Wallis, and Mann Whitney. Results: The levels of NT-pro BNP were 40±26, 55±33, and 74±37 pg/ml in pregnant women with normal blood pressure, non-severe preeclampsia, and severe preeclampsia, respectively. Significant differences were found between the cases with normal blood pressure and those with severe preeclampsia in the level of NT-pro BNP (P= 0.003). Conclusion: The level of NT-pro BNP in preeclamptic women was higher than that of the pregnant women with normal blood pressure which was correlated with the severity of preeclampsia too. It seems that the level of NT-pro BNP could be used to differentiate severe preeclampsia from non-severe cases.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• preeclampsia
• n-terminal pro-bnp
• severity of illness index