Background: Although preeclampsia has been studied thoroughly, its origin is still unknown. However, there are various factors that strive to explain its cause. Some of them are: the genetic, placenta and immunological aspects, endothelial damage, hormonal and autoimmunological alterations, deficit of essential fatty acids, and the ion disorder theory.
Objective: To evaluate if hypocalciuria is a factor related to the development of preeclampsia or transitory hypertension during pregnancy.
Material and method: A cohort study of 63 women was performed. Serum calcium levels and calcium in 24 hours urine collection were assessed in women with 32 to 36 weeks of pregnancy. Patients were selected by sampling of consecutive cases.
Results: Twenty-four patients had hypocalciuria (group I) and 39 normocalciuria (group II). Calcium serum levels were of 8.05 +/- 0.22 mg/ dL and of 8.22 +/- 0.36 for group I and II, respectively (t=1.25, p=0.21). Of the 24 patients with hypocalciuria, 5 (20.83%) had preeclampsia compared to 2 (5.12%) of the 39 with normocalciuria (RR= 4.06; 95% CI 3.29, 7.20). We did not find correlation between preeclampsia and the risk factors. When considering hypocalciuria as a prognosis test, we obtained 0.71 of sensitivity and 0.66 of specificity; the exactitude of the test was of 0.66.
Conclusions: Hypocalciuria could be considered as a risk factor for the development of preeclampsia and transitory hypertension during pregnancy.