Role of the Serum Kisspeptin-1 Level in Early and Late-Onset Preeclampsia

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, affecting 2–8% of pregnancies. Early diagnosis remains challenging, particularly in asymptomatic cases, highlighting the need for reliable biomarkers to improve timely detection and intervention. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of serum kisspeptin in the detection of early-onset and late-onset preeclampsia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An case control study was conducted at Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital obstetric outpatient clinic and labour ward in Baghdad. The 180 pregnant women were separated into four groups: 45 with early-onset preeclampsia and 45 gestational age-matched controls, and 45 with late-onset and 45 controls. Serum kisspeptin levels were statistically analysed for diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS: Women with late-onset preeclampsia had significantly higher kisspeptin levels (75.79 ± 35.17) compared to controls (52.00 ± 28.53; p < 0.001). A significant difference was found between early-onset preeclampsia (55.84 ± 29.10) and controls (44.34 ± 13.44; p = 0.018). Kisspeptin demonstrated moderate diagnostic performance for late-onset preeclampsia with an optimal cutoff value of 71.34, yielding 66.7% sensitivity and 82.2% specificity. For early-onset preeclampsia, a cutoff value of 52.14 resulted in 55.6% sensitivity and 86.7% specificity. CONCLUSION: Serum kisspeptin levels are significantly elevated in preeclamptic pregnancies and may serve as a biomarker with moderate diagnostic performance of both early-onset and late-onset preeclampsia.