COPARATIVE STUDY OF PRE AND POST PARTUM ELECTROLYTES, UREA AND CREATININE LEVELS OF HYPERTENSIVE MOTHERS IN ENUGU STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, ENUGU, NIGERIA

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remain a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Pregnancy is associated with profound physiological adaptations involving cardiovascular, renal, and electrolyte regulation, which may become dysregulated in the presence of hypertension. Alterations in serum electrolytes, urea, and creatinine during the pre-partum and post-partum periods provide important insights into renal function and fluid balance in hypertensive mothers. This study comparatively evaluated serum electrolytes, urea, and creatinine levels in pre-partum and post-partum hypertensive women attending Enugu State University Teaching Hospital. A total of fifty (50) participants were recruited and grouped into twenty-five (25) pre-partum hypertensive women and twenty-five (25) post-partum hypertensive women, with normotensive women serving as controls. Serum urea was determined using the ureaseBerthelot method, serum creatinine was measured by the Jaffe reaction, sodium and potassium were analyzed using flame emission photometry, while chloride and bicarbonate were determined by titrimetric methods. Data were expressed as mean ± SEM and analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. The results showed a significant reduction in serum sodium in pre-partum hypertensive women (134.72 ± 0.98 mmol/L) compared to post-partum (138.52 ± 2.16 mmol/L) and control subjects (138.40 ± 1.43 mmol/L) (p < 0.05). Potassium and bicarbonate levels were also significantly lower in the pre-partum group (3.46 ± 0.09 mmol/L and 19.32 ± 1.07 mmol/L, respectively) compared to post-partum and controls (p < 0.05), while chloride levels showed no significant difference (p >0.05). Serum urea and creatinine were significantly elevated in pre-partum hypertensive women (8.11 ± 1.17 mmol/L and 123.01 ± 26.58 μmol/L, respectively) compared to post-partum (4.56 ± 1.99 mmol/L and 82.90 ± 38.03 μmol/L) and control groups (3.94 ± 1.61 mmol/L and 67.95 ± 14.81 μmol/L) (p < 0.05). These findings indicate increased renal stress during hypertensive pregnancy with partial biochemical normalization following delivery. Routine monitoring of renal and electrolyte parameters is therefore essential in the management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.