Association between Serum Homocysteine Levels in Preeclampsia and its Severity among Women in Lagos, South-West Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Clinical evidence had suggested that hyperhomocysteinaemia features in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. However, there is still conflicting evidence on the extent to which elevated maternal homocysteine contributes to this deadly complication of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the impact of elevated maternal homocysteine levels in early pregnancy on preeclampsia and its severity among Nigerian women in Lagos.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study conducted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Participants were enrolled in the first trimester of pregnancy following which their sociodemographic data were obtained by interview. Venous blood samples were collected for measurement of homocysteine concentration using the ELISA method. Data on the occurrence of preeclampsia was obtained from the delivery records. Binary logistic regression model was used to study the effects of the major baseline characteristics on the development of preeclampsia.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 167 patients; hyperhomocysteinaemia was recorded in 24 (24.6%) patients. Women with hyperhomocysteinaemia had no statistically significant risk of developing preeclampsia or severe preeclampsia, compared with women with a normal homocysteine concentration.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of hyperhomocysteinaemia in the study was relatively low. The absence of a significant association between maternal hyperhomocysteinaemia and preeclampsia reported in this study could create room for the conduct of a more robust, adequately powered longitudinal research needed to answer some of the major reservations that remain from the present study.