Correlation between maternal variables and the onset and severity of preeclampsia [version 1; peer review: awaiting

Background: The study sought to determine the correlation between the onset and severity of preeclampsia (PE) and maternal sociodemographic variables: age, parity and body mass index (BMI); medical history: systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and proteinuria; fasting lipids: total cholesterol (TCHOL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides (TRIG); liver enzymes: aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and other variables: serum neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (sNGAL), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and creatinine (CRT). Methods: This was a case–control study from January–June 2018. The study involved 270 pregnant women aged 18–37 years. Half of the study population (n=135) had PE and were categorized into either early-onset PE (EOPE) or late-onset PE (LOPE) and whether the PE was characterized by severe features (PS) or without severe features (PNS). The cases (PE) were matched by maternal and gestational age to 135 women with normotensive and uncomplicated pregnancies. A single venous blood sample was collected after an overnight fast and analysed using ELISA or routine biochemistry technique. Results: Maternal blood lipids (except HDL), liver enzymes (except GGT), CRT, sNGAL, ET-1, proteinuria, and BMI were positively correlated while HDL was negatively correlated with the onset and severity of PE (P