Comparative analysis of iron status and other hematological parameters in preeclampsia^†

† All authors work at the Hospital Universitario ‘Dr. José Eleuterio González’ in the Hematology Service or in the Obstetrics Service and most of them belong to the national system of researchers in México. This hospital-school is a public Hospital and belongs to the Medical School at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To compare serum ferritin (SF) concentrations and other hematological parameters between patients with preeclampsia (PE) and normal pregnant women of the same gestational period who received supplemental iron during pregnancy.

Methods: Prospective, comparative, observational pilot study that included 31 women with PE and 30 healthy pregnant women, at 20 weeks’ of gestation. Ferritin, iron and complete blood cell count were compared between groups.

Results: In comparison with controls, preeclamptic patients had a higher weight, body mass index, and arterial pressure. Serum ferritin and serum iron were higher in patients with PE (median: 36.5 μg/l vs. 20.9 μg/l and 103.9 μg/dl vs. 90.8 μg/dl) with a significant difference (P = 0.019 and P = 0.345). SF values >40 μg/l correlated with PE (r = 0.281; P = 0.032). A platelet count less than 100 × 10⁹/l was higher in the PE group than in the control group (13% vs. 3%, P = 0.354).

Conclusion: Higher SF levels, despite being within normal range, were associated with PE. The incidence of thrombocytopenia was higher in preeclamptic women, however, the remaining hematological parameters were similar in both groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Preeclampsia
• ferritin
• transferring
• serum iron
• prophylactic iron
• pregnancy
• thrombocytopenia
• hypertension

Acknowledgment

We thank Sergio Lozáno-Rodríguez, M.D. for his critical review of the manuscript.

Disclosure statements

Contributors This study was performed with funds of the Hematology Service of U.A.N.L. Medical School.

Conflicts of interest All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest, and state that this study was performed with funds of the Hematology Service of U.A.N.L. Medical School.

Ethics approval Despite this is an observational study, the protocol was approved by the local ethics committee (Ethics Committee of Medicine School, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Clave: HE12-006) and all patients signed informed consent form before any procedure.

ORCiD

César Homero Gutierrez-Aguirre http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9876-3633

José Alberto García-Lozano http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6958-7511

Oscar Rubén Treviño-Montemayor http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0530-4762

Olga Graciela Cantú-Rodríguez http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2134-3734

Andrés Gómez-De León http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6904-9345

Rosario Salazar-Riojas http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3213-5810

Consuelo Mancias-Guerra http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4292-8635

José Carlos Jaime-Pérez http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6804-9095

David Gómez-Almaguer http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0460-6427

Notes

† All authors work at the Hospital Universitario ‘Dr. José Eleuterio González’ in the Hematology Service or in the Obstetrics Service and most of them belong to the national system of researchers in México. This hospital-school is a public Hospital and belongs to the Medical School at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.