Bushra Iftikhar, Mahwish Shahzad, Mehwish Iftikhar, Mirza Ameer Faizan Ali, Mehwish Rana, Shabbir Hussain.
Serum Vitamin D and Calcium Levels in Preeclampsia.
J Sharif Med Dent Coll Jan ;8(2):57-61.

Objective: To measure and compare serum vitamin D and calcium levels in primigravida women with preeclampsia (PE) and normotensive primigravida. Methodology: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Health Sciences after ethical approval. Vitamin D and calcium levels were measured and compared from the venous blood of 45 pregnant females with preeclampsia (group A) and 45 pregnant normotensive females (group B) taken as controls. Vitamin D & calcium levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and atomic absorption spectrometer, respectively. Results: The mean serum calcium level of the controls was 9.25+/-0.98 mg/dL and that of preeclamptic females was 8.92+/-0.84 mg/dL. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p-value=0.073). The mean serum vitamin D level of normotensive pregnant females was 19.25+/-9.25 ng/mL whereas it was 14.88+/-6.57 ng/mL in the preeclamptic pregnant females. The difference in these findings was significant between the two groups (p-value=0.038). A significant negative correlation between weight and BMI was observed with vitamin D in the preeclamptic group while no such correlation was found in the control group. Conclusion: Preeclampsia is associated with lower levels of vitamin D. The pathophysiology of PE also involves altered metabolism of calcium however, a strong correlation was not found between altered levels of calcium and PE in the present study. Keywords: Preeclampsia. Gestational age. Calcium. Vitamin D. Hypertension.

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