Evaluation of Lactate Dehydrogenase and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase Among Pregnant Women with Hypertensive Disorders and Their Association with Disease Severity in Jimma Medical Center, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background & Objective: Pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders (PIHD) are the main reasons for maternal and perinatal mortality, as they complicate 10% of pregnancies worldwide. Serum lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) are possible markers reflecting the occurrence of pregnancyassociated complications like preeclampsia and eclampsia. There is a paucity of data with conflicting results showing serum LDH and GGT on PIHD in Ethiopia. This investigation aimed to assess the serum LDH and GGT levels in pregnant women with PIHD along with their correlation with the severity of the disease at Jimma Medical Center (JMC), Ethiopia. Materials & Methods:This hospital-based comparative cross-sectional study was undertaken from August 03 to September 27, 2020, in JMC. A total of 97 study participants were recruited. Serum GGT and LDH levels were determined using a fully automated Roche Cobas 6000 chemistry analyzer. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. One-way ANOVA and independent samples t-test were employed to compare serum GGT and LDH levels with categories of PIHD. Results:The significantly highest mean serum levels of LDH (580.9±193.8 U/L) and GGT (86.1±29.2 U/L) were observed in eclamptic women compared to gestational hypertensive (276.7±60.7 and 38.3±16.9 U/L) and preeclamptic patients (353±132.8 and 48.8±29.9 U/L), respectively. Both serum GGT and LDH levels were found to correlate with the severity of preeclampsia, respectively significantly. Conclusion:Serum LDH and GGT were found to be at the highest levels in eclamptic than preeclamptic and gestational hypertensive women. Blood pressure, gestational age, and severity of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were predictor variables associated with serum GGT and LDH.

Diagnostic performance of lactate dehydrogenase as a potential biomarker in predicting preeclampsia and associated factors

“…Furthermore, systolic and diastolic blood pressure showed independent association with serum LDH level in this study. This finding was consistent with a number of previous studies done on similar subjects (13,16,24,26,27).…”

“…Another research undertaken in India reported mean serum level of LDH to be 513.37 ± 203.44 and 261 ± 78.47 in preeclamptic and healthy controls, respectively. In addition, a study done in Ethiopia reported mean level of serum LDH in preeclamptic study groups to be 353 ± 132.8 which was slightly lower than the finding of the present study (8,24,25). This observed discrepancy might possibly be due to the lowering effects of antihypertensive drugs, which were being taken by some of our study subjects.…”