Association between Mid-trimester Maternal Triglyceride Levels and Subsequent Development of Preeclampsia: A Prospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Hyperlipidaemia, specifically hypertriglyceridaemia, is a well-known risk factor for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular atherosclerosis. Serum triglyceride levels are significantly elevated in women with Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP), and such elevations are consistent across the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. Therefore, triglyceride levels in the early mid-trimester can act as predictors for the development of preeclampsia. Aim: To determine whether serum triglyceride levels measured during the early mid-trimester of pregnancy can serve as a predictive biomarker for the development of preeclampsia. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based prospective cohort study was conducted in the maternity unit of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India from February 2020 to July 2021. Serum triglyceride levels were measured, and participants were divided into two groups of 75 each. Group 1 had normal serum triglyceride levels, while Group 2 had high triglyceride levels. The Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III classification of serum triglycerides was used, with values >200 mg/dL taken as the cut-off level. Patients were followed up until delivery, and the incidence of preeclampsia was recorded in both groups. The Chi-square test was employed to compare categorical variables. Results: The mean age of the study participants in Group 1 and Group 2 was 25.8±3.86 and 26.6±4.29 years, respectively. Group 1 (normal triglyceride levels) had seven cases of preeclampsia, whereas Group 2 (hypertriglyceridaemia) had 17 cases. Overall, the study demonstrated that high serum triglyceride levels in the antenatal period were statistically significant in predicting the occurrence of preeclampsia during pregnancy (p-value=0.02). Conclusion: Higher serum triglyceride levels were found to be associated with an increased incidence of preeclampsia.