Study of serum electrolytes in pregnancy induced hypertension.

Hypertension complicating pregnancy is an important cause of foetal and maternal mortality and morbidity. Serum sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium were evaluated in cases with gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia and compared with normotensive pregnant women of corresponding period of gestation. Taking urinary micro-albumin creatinine ratio as standard to predict pregnancy induced hypertension, the role of serum electrolytes to predict the same was studied. A total of 200 patients were evaluated. There were no change in serum sodium and potassium in gestational hypertensive cases as well as in pre-eclamptic cases when compared with control group. Similar results were obtained when serum calcium level was evaluated. Mean serum magnesium level (1.53 +/- 0.29 mg/dl) was significantly low in cases of pre-eclampsia, while it was 1.79 +/- 0.25 mg/dl in patients with gestational hypertension and 2.19 +/- 0.2 mg/dl in control group. Patients having gestational hypertension along with increased micro-albumin creatinine ratio had significantly low mean magnesium level (1.68 +/- 0.1 mg/dl) when compared with gestational hypertensive patients with normal microalbumin creatinine ratio (serum magnesium level 1.87 +/- 0.1 mg/dl).