Dr G S Shekhawat MD (Obst & Gyn) +
Dr Hemant S Damle MD(Obst & Gyn)≠
Place of Research work: Dept of Pharmacology and Dept of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Smt Kashibai Navale Medical College, Narhe, Pune-411041, Maharashtra.
Email of Principal & co worker: gsshekhawata@yahoo.co.in (M) 09372897090 and drradha @sknmcgh.org, Tel :( O) (020-24106155)
Address of the corresponding Author:
Dr.Radha Yegnanarayan (Prof & HODPharmacology)
Smt Kashibai Navale Medical College, Narhe, Pune-411041, Maharashtra.
*Professor &HOD (Pharmacology), +Associate Professor (Obstetrics & Gynecology), ≠ Professor (Obstetrics & Gynecology), Smt Kashibai Navale Medical College, Narhe, Pune-411041, Maharashtra.
Abstract
The present study was carried out to evaluate the occurrence of association between homocysteine, and vitamin B12 in patients with Preeclampsia , Eclampsia and those with history of previous PIH. 30 such patients from obstetric ward were studied for estimation of serum homocysteine, and vitamin B12 over a period of Jan10 to Jun 2011. Serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 were determined by means of Immulite 1000 analyzer. The statistical analysis of study group of preeclampsia compared with normotensive control group, showed significant alterations in serum homocysteine, and vitamin B12 concentrations in preeclampsia and eclampsia group. Inverse association between serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 levels were observed in preeclampsia and eclampsia. The present study found hyperhomocysteinemia and deficiency of vitamin B12 along with increased blood pressure as a risk factor in preeclampsia. Final outcome of these patients after Inj Vitamin B12 therapy has improved at par with control group without any neonatal or maternal mortality in all four groups
Keywords : Homocysteine ,Vitamin B12 , Pre Eclampsia, Eclampsia , ICD9 642.7, ICD10 014
Introduction
Pregnancy induced hypertension may occur in about 3–10% of all pregnancies [1]. It remains a major cause of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality world-wide, because of complications such as eclampsia, fetal growth retardation, premature birth or abruptio placentae[1][2]. An increased concentration of total circulating homocysteine in serum is recognized as an independent risk factor for Pre eclampsia[3][4]. Moreover, determinants of hyperhomocysteinemia, such as low concentrations of folic acid and vitamin B12 involved in homocysteine metabolism are also associated with increased risk of vascular damage & Pre eclampsia [5]. It is uncertain whether hyperhomocysteinemia per se or low concentrations of vitamin B12 and folic acid are atherogenic factors that trigger Pre eclampsia[6]. The present study was undertaken to determine the levels of serum homocysteine, and vitamin B12 and their correlation ship in patients with preeclampsia. We also studied the effectiveness of treatment with Injection B12 in patients who showed low levels of vitamin B12.
Material & Methods
This study was carried out at Department of Pharmacology and Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Smt Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital Pune after obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee approval. All participants completed a medical history form and provided informed consent. 40 patients in the age group of 18–35 years were studied for estimation of serum total homocysteine, and vitamin B12 over a period of 18 months. Detailed dietary history with reference to vegetarian or non vegetarian status and consumption of folate rich foods were recorded in all cases. Peripheral blood smears were examined in all 40 cases for presence of megaloblasts. In all those cases where homocysteine concentrations were high and vitamin B12 levels were low, we administered Injection B12, 1500 µgm I/M in three divided doses.
Inclusion Criteria
This prospective study was conducted among 40 patients, who were divided in 04 groups. 10 patients with Eclampsia, 10 patients with pre-eclampsia , 10 patients with past history of pre- eclampsia/eclampsia and another 10 normotensive patients as control without any sign, symptoms, lab test suggestive of pre-eclampsia were included. Besides routine base line ANC investigations, all patients were subjected to special investigation including renal, liver and coagulation function tests for pre- eclampsia / eclampsia patients.
Exclusion Criteria
Patients having use of medications (therapy involving S-adenosyl-methionine, carbamazepine, phenytoin, 6-azauridine, xanthopterin, antifolic acids, anticonvulsant agents, tamoxifen, and theophylline), cancer, severe anemia, systemic illness and those with major illness were excluded from study [7].
Blood Sample Collection
Venous blood samples were collected in test tube with aseptic precautions. After 2 h of collections sample was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 5 min. Serum was separated and collected in polythene tube with cork. The sera with no sign of haemolysis were coded and used for the analysis of total circulating homocysteine and vitamin B12. The investigator carrying the estimation was unaware of the clinical history and treatment status of the patients.
Biochemical Analysis
Serum homocysteine concentration was measured by competitive chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay method [6]. Serum vitamin B12 concentration was evaluated by solid phase, competitive chemiluminescent assay method. We used fully automated enzyme amplified chemiluminescent immuno assay based Immulite 1000 analyzer. Hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as a serum homocysteine concentration greater than 15 µmoles/l. Vitamin B12 deficiency was defined as Vitamin B12 level lower than223 pg/ml.
Statistical Analysis
Numerical variables were reported in terms of mean and standard deviation or standard error of mean. Statistical analysis of results was done by Student t test with correction &Yates corrected chi square test wherever applicable. In this analysis, variables showing P-value less than 0.05 and 0.001 were considered to be statistically significant and highly significant, respectively. Pearson correlation test was used to test correlation.
Results
Demographic data of pre eclamptic patients such as mean age of patients showed significant fall (P<0.05). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were significantly increased (P<0.05) in pre eclamptic/ eclamptic group as compared with control group (Table 1). Table 2 depicts changes in serum profile when control group was compared with study group of preeclampsia. As can be seen, significant increase (P<0.05) were observed in serum homocysteine whereas, vitamin B12 levels showed significant decrease (P<0.05). A negative and significant correlation was observed between serum homocysteine when compared with vitamin B12 (Table 2and 3). All patients of Eclampsia and pre eclampsia were treated with vitamin B12 whereas only 02 patients with past history of pre eclampsia needed Vitamin B12 treatment as their homocysteine levels were above normal ( Table 3).
When pre and post vitamin B12 levels were compared, decrease & normalization of homocysteine levels and increase & normalization in vitamin B12 levels were seen after Inj B12 treatment in both eclampsia and pre eclampsia patients.(Table 4) This improvement was statistically highly significant (p<0.001). A negative and statistically significant correlation (r = -0.335 and P<0.05) was found between serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 in preeclampsia(Table 5). Final outcome of these patients after Inj Vitamin B12 therapy has improved at par with control group without any neonatal or maternal mortality in all four groups, however maternal and perinatal morbidity was much higher among preeclamptic and eclamptic group because of pre existing pathology (Table 6).
Discussion
Our findings suggest that levels of serum homocysteine, and vitamin B12 are altered in preeclampsia and eclampsia patients as compared in age-matched normotensive pregnant control subjects.The present study shows that there was significant hyper homocystinemia & deficiency of Vitamin B12 in patients with preeclampsia and eclampsia. Several prospective studies with rather small cohorts of patients with preeclampsia have shown an independent association between elevated serum homocysteine level and untoward obstetric outcome [7] [8]. Several factors may increase homocysteine levels in women with preeclampsia [9]. Metabolism in the kidney is the major route by which homocysteine is cleared from plasma and this route of elimination may be affected by preeclamptic changes in the kidney [10]. Hyperhomocysteinemia in preeclamptic patients found in our study might be due to modulation in homocysteine metabolism, which corroborates with the work of Walker et al, Hogg et al , Vollset et al. Several studies have demonstrated serum concentrations of elevated homocysteine in preeclampsia [11]. These studies support our results. In our study, the levels of vitamin B12 were also significantly lower in the preeclamptic and eclamptic group as compared to control groups ,suggesting raised homocysteine was due to vitamin B12 deficiency. Carmel R found differences in folic acid concentrations between preeclamptic and normal pregnant women. Similarly, in a systematic review by Mignini et al., folic acid and vitamin B12 concentrations were lower in preeclamptic women when compared with those of normotensive women[12] . In another study, there was no difference in folic acid and vitamin B12 levels between pooled normal and preeclamptic groups but these levels were significantly lower in patients with the 677 CT mutation of MTHFR[13]. The serum homocysteine was found to have negative and insignificant correlation with serum folic acid in preeclamptic patients. In our study negative and statistically significant correlation (r = -0.335 and P<0.05) was found between serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 in preeclampsia. There are two pathways by which homocysteine is metabolized:- remethylation and transsulfuration. Folic acid and vitamin B12 are required for the remethylation of homocysteine to methionine; vitamin B6 is required for the transsulfuration of homocysteine to cysteine. A good correlation between serum homocysteine, and vitamin B12 levels observed in our study support this view. It is justifiable to administer Inj vitamin B12, 1500µgm to all patients developing pre eclampsia as prophylactic dose to prevent further complications of PIH.
From the above discussion we can assume that biochemical screening such as homocysteine, vitamins B12 are of paramount importance in preeclampsia. The inverse relation between homocysteine, and vitamin B12 indicates that severity associated with metabolic disturbances in preeclampsia can contribute to obstetric complications[14]. On the other hand, there is an absolute need for large studies designed to answer the question as to whether hyper homocysteinemia and vitamin B12 deficiency are associated with increased risk for pre eclampsia and whether therapy of these disorders might influence maternal mortality & morbidity [15]. Further studies should help define the role of genetic polymorphism in enzymes of homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B12 metabolism and their role in pre eclampsia [16].
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| Parameters |
Eclampsia group (n=10) |
Pre-eclampsia Group (n = 10) |
Past History of PET/ Eclampsia group (n=10) |
Control group without any past
history or PET/ Eclampsia in present pregnancy (n = 10) |
P-value |
| Age (years) | 21.6±2.3 | 22.1±3.1 | 25.5±3.3 | 25.1±2.4 | <0.05 |
| Gestation age (weeks) | 32 | 36 | 36 | 36 | |
| Parity | P1=02 P2=06 P3=02 |
P1=06 P2=02 P3=02 |
Eclampsia=02 Pre eclampsia=06 |
P1=04 P2=4 P3=02 |
|
| SBP (mm of Hg) | 158.7±7.1 | 144.3±4.6 | 118.1±8.2 | 120.3±6.1 | <0.05 |
| DBP (mm of Hg) | 108.1±5.2 | 96.3±3.1 | 90.6±2.9 | 84.0±3.9 | <0.05 |
| Proteinuria mg/24hr | Significant | Significant | Not Significant | Absent | <0.05 |
The results were compared between preeclampsia/eclampsia groups & control group. The values are presented as mean ± S.D.
Table 2 – Baseline Serum total homocysteine and vitamin B12 levels in four groups.
|
Parameters
|
Eclampsia group (n=10) |
Pre-eclampsia Group (n = 10)
|
Past History of PET/ Eclampsia group (n=10) |
Control group (n = 10)
|
P-value |
|
Homocysteine (μmol/l) |
34.1±6.2 |
22.3±4.8 |
10.97±1.61 |
8.8±3.2 |
<0.01 |
|
Vitamin B12 (pg/ml) |
131.9±20.5 |
157.4±44.8 |
411.4±8.3 |
624.6±11.9 |
<0.05 |
|
Hb% |
9.28±2.5 |
9.39±3.2 |
9.22±3.8 |
9.65±1.9 |
>0.05 |
Table 3:- No of patients treated with Inj B12 in each group.
|
Drug
|
Eclampsia group (n=10) |
Pre-eclampsia Group (n = 10)
|
Past History of PET/ Eclampsia group (n=02) |
P-value |
|
Vitamin B12 (pg/ml) |
10 |
10 |
02 |
<0.05 |
Table 4:- Serum homocysteine & Vit B12 levels after Inj B12 treatment in each group. The values are presented as mean ± SEM.
|
Drug
|
Eclampsia group (n=10) |
Pre-eclampsia Group (n = 10)
|
P-value |
|
Homocystein(µmol/l) |
14.51±7.14 |
11.03±2.34 |
<0.001 |
|
Vitamin B12 (pg/ml) |
1239.1±755.7 |
1412.4±615.1 |
<0.01 |
Table 5 -Correlation of total homocysteine and vitamin B12 in preeclampsia patients
|
Parameters |
‘r’ Value |
P-value |
|
Homocysteine |
-0.71 |
<0.0001 |
|
Vitamin B12 (pg/ml) |
-0.52 |
<0.01 |
r = Correlation coefficient
Table 6- Obstetric and perinatal outcome among all 04 groups
|
Parameters
|
Eclampsia group (n=10) |
Pre-eclampsia Group (n = 10)
|
Past History of PET/ Eclampsia group (n=10) |
Control group (n = 10) |
P-value |
|
Perinatal outcome |
|||||
|
Low Birth weight |
100% |
40% |
20% |
10% |
<0.001 |
|
IUGR |
60% |
30% |
20% |
10% |
<0.001 |
|
IUD |
10% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
- |
|
Abruptio Placentae |
10% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
- |
|
Need for NICU |
80% |
60% |
20% |
20% |
<0.001 |
|
Need for Resuscitation |
60% |
40% |
10% |
10% |
<0.001 |
|
1 Min APGAR<7 |
40% |
30% |
20% |
10% |
<0.001 |
|
Maternal outcome |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Normal delivery |
40% |
60% |
70% |
80% |
<0.001 |
|
Cesarean Section |
40% |
40% |
30% |
10% |
<0.001 |
|
Instrumental Delivery( Forceps/ Vacuum) |
20% |
0% |
0% |
10% |
- |
|
DIC |
2% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
|
