A Study of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in the Pathogenesis of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives The aim of our study was to observe the levels of serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) in cases of preeclampsia and eclampsia in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and to compare it with the level of serum β-hCG in normotensive controls and also to find out if any correlation exists between the levels of β-hCG and the severity of the disease. Materials and methods A case—control study of 130 cases of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), out of which 100 were cases of preeclampsia and 30 were those of eclampsia, was conducted with 100 normotensive antenatal cases as controls. Patients admitted as preeclampsia or eclampsia were subjected for the study of β-hCG from 28 weeks onwards depending on the gestational age at the time of admission. Normotensive patients coming as outpatients were taken as controls and their β-hCG estimation was done. Results The β-hCG levels in hypertensive patients were found to be significantly higher than that of the controls. There was a significant correlation with the severity of the disease. A significant positive correlation was found with the systolic BP, diastolic BP, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and serum bilirubin whereas a significant inverse correlation was found with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and platelet counts. Conclusion Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin rises significantly in the cases of PIH and the rise correlates with the severity of hypertension and the derangement of laboratory parameters. As it has a low sensitivity and specificity, it is not a very useful tool as a diagnostic or prognostic indicator for preeclampsia. How to cite this article Tiwari P, Saraogi P, Sahni S, Sahu B, Badkur P. A Study of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in the Pathogenesis of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2016;8(4):282-285.