Mlay Godluck H, Shayo Prosper A, Kiritta Richard F, Matovelo Dismas K, Kidenya Benson R
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 31;15(1):19151. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-03580-w.
Pre-eclampsia-Eclampsia (PE-E) is a multisystem disorder of uncertainty etiology. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is still one of the leading causes of maternal death, morbidity, and long-term disability. The status of maternal hypocalcemia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of PE-E. However, there are controversial findings from previous studies done to assess the association between maternal hypocalcemia with PE-E. This contradiction causes inconsistency in checking up on maternal hypocalcemia in routine antenatal care. We conducted a 1:2 matched case control study to determine the association of total maternal hypocalcemia with PE-E among pregnant women attending at Bugando Medical Centre, a tertiary referral hospital in Mwanza, Northwestern Tanzania. This study involved 127 cases and 254 controls. The matching variables were gestational age (± 1 week) and maternal age (± 1 year). Cubital venous blood was collected for measuring total serum calcium levels among cases and controls. Data were collected using a standardized, pre-tested, and coded questionnaire, then entered into a computer using Microsoft Excel 2013, and analyzed using STATA version 15. Conditional logistic regression analysis adjusted for body mass index (BMI) and referral status was used to determine the association between total maternal hypocalcemia and PE-E. The p-value of less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. A total 381 pregnant women, 127 cases matched with 254 controls, were involved into this study Overall, the median age was 29 [IQR 26-33] years and 28.1% (107/381) were primigravidae. Total maternal hypocalcemia was significantly associated with PE-E (un-adjusted OR 8.6; 95% CI 4.7-15.7; p-value < 0.001 and adjusted OR 11.2; 95% CI 5.5-22.8; p-value < 0.001). Our study found a strong association of total hypocalcemia with PE-E. We emphasize the need for routine screening for maternal hypocalcemia during antenatal clinic visits. We recommend routine calcium supplementation for pregnant women, especially those at risk for PE-E.
子痫前期-子痫（PE-E）是一种病因不明的多系统疾病。在撒哈拉以南非洲，它仍然是孕产妇死亡、发病和长期残疾的主要原因之一。孕产妇低钙血症的状况与PE-E的发病机制有关。然而，先前评估孕产妇低钙血症与PE-E之间关联的研究结果存在争议。这种矛盾导致在常规产前检查中对孕产妇低钙血症的检查不一致。我们进行了一项1:2匹配病例对照研究，以确定在坦桑尼亚西北部姆万扎的一家三级转诊医院布甘多医疗中心就诊的孕妇中，孕产妇总低钙血症与PE-E之间的关联。本研究纳入了127例病例和254例对照。匹配变量为孕周（±1周）和孕产妇年龄（±1岁）。采集肘静脉血以测量病例组和对照组的血清总钙水平。使用标准化、预测试和编码的问卷收集数据，然后使用Microsoft Excel 2013输入计算机，并使用STATA 15版本进行分析。采用调整了体重指数（BMI）和转诊状态的条件逻辑回归分析来确定孕产妇总低钙血症与PE-E之间的关联。p值小于0.05被认为具有统计学意义。本研究共纳入381名孕妇，其中127例病例与254例对照相匹配。总体而言，中位年龄为29岁[四分位间距26-33岁]，28.1%（107/381）为初产妇。孕产妇总低钙血症与PE-E显著相关（未调整的比值比8.6；95%置信区间4.7-15.7；p值<0.001，调整后的比值比11.2；95%置信区间5.5-22.8；p值<0.001）。我们的研究发现总低钙血症与PE-E之间存在密切关联。我们强调在产前门诊就诊时需要对孕产妇低钙血症进行常规筛查。我们建议对孕妇，尤其是有PE-E风险的孕妇进行常规补钙。
