Study of Homocysteine, Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid Levels in Preeclampsia and Normotensive Pregnancy

Introduction Pregnancy induced hypertension may occur in about 5–8% of all pregnancies1-6 In developing countries, hypertensive disorders are the second most common obstetrical cause of still births and early neonatal deaths, accounting for 23.6%. It is the third leading pregnancy related cause of maternal death, after hemorrhage and embolism (790 maternal deaths per1, 00,000 live births) 7,8. Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality2,5 worldwide because of complications such as eclampsia, premature birth, fetal growth retardation or abruption placentae9. Despite a fairly high incidence, the underlying etiology of preeclampsia is still incomplete10. The treatment of preeclampsia is symptomatic till date, as the etiology of this condition has remained elusive for many centuries. Definitive treatment remains the delivery of fetus and placenta10,11. It is a progressive disorder; if the delivery is delayed it increases the risk of eclampsia and end organ damage threatening the lives of both mother and the baby. The maternal serum homocysteine levels usually decrease with gestation. It may be due to a physiological response to the pregnancy, hemodilution from increased plasma volume or increased demand for methionine by both the mother and foetus2,13,14. High homocysteine levels might induce vascular damage through an endothelial dysfunction caused by oxidative stress in preeclampsia1,16. The present study was done to evaluate serum homocysteine, Vitamin B12 and Folic acid and their co relationship in patients of pre-eclampsia.