The study of serum calcium and serum magnesium in pregnancy induced hypertension and normal pregnancy

Background: Preeclampsia along with its complications is one of the major causes of maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. Association of calcium and magnesium with pregnancy induced hypertension is known since decades. Evidence of decreased serum calcium and decreased serum magnesium has been observed in patients with pregnancy induced hypertension and has been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of preeclampsia.Methods: The present study was undertaken in 100 pregnant women. Data for the study was collected from 50 normotensive pregnant women with more than 20 weeks of gestational age (control group) and 50 pregnancy induced hypertension patients (study group) attending for the antenatal care in department of obstetrics and gynaecology in Vanivilas hospital, Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital attached to Bangalore medical college and research institute. Cases and controls were matched. Serum calcium and serum magnesium levels were estimated by spectrophotometry method.Results: The mean serum calcium is significantly lower in pregnancy induced hypertension group (8.15 ± 0.37 mg/dl) compared to normal pregnancy (9.16 ± 0.82 mg/dl). The mean serum magnesium is lower in pregnancy induced hypertension group (1.78 ± 0.70 mEq/L) than normal pregnancy (2.08 ± 0.46 mEq/L) which is moderately significant.  Conclusions: The serum calcium and serum magnesium levels are decreased in pregnancy induced hypertension patients compared to normotensive normal pregnant women, suggesting the possible role of calcium and magnesium in etiopathophysiology of pregnancy induced hypertension