Preeclampsia related investigative parameters and its association with maternal outcome

Background: Preeclampsia is the most challenging clinical entity affecting both mother and the foetus. It is one of the leading causes for maternal as well as perinatal morbidity/mortality. Preeclampsia appears to be mild in about 75% of the cases and severe in 25% of them. The present study is an attempt to analyse maternal and perinatal outcome in a severe preeclampsia and to find the usefulness of the clinical and investigative work up as predictors of outcome. Materials and Methods: In this observational study 140 women with a severe preeclampsia who were evaluated and managed at a tertiary care hospital were recruited. Clinical, haematological and other biochemical investigative parameters were noted and subsequently correlated with various adverse maternal outcomes. Results: Mean arterial pressure>127 mmHg (p=0.042), uric acid>7 mg/dl (p=0.001), platelet count<1, 00,000 cells/cc (p=0.003), serum creatinine>1.2 mg/dl (p=0.025) were significantly associated with poor maternal outcome in women with severe preeclampsia. Conclusions: Maternal and perinatal morbidity is still high among women with severe preeclampsia. Timely caesarean delivery seems to improve perinatal outcomes in settings with facilities for new-born care