Purpose: New-onset proteinuria, as a pivotal sign of representative renal lesions in preeclampsia, is still the most common diagnostic tool for this condition and has been proven to be related to a significantly abnormal sFlt-1/VEGF ratio in circulation. At the same time, blood pressure control plays a vital role in the occurrence and evolution of proteinuria. Therefore, it is particularly helpful to investigate their interval, not only for performing urinalysis for protein more accurately but also for evaluating blood pressure as well as the aggravation of illness, as the related research is limited.
Methods: This retrospective study included 515 preeclampsia patients and 358 normotensive pregnant women who labored in the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from January 2016 to January 2020. First, we described the onset circumstance of high blood pressure and proteinuria as well as the interval among the case group and the subgroups. Then, we determined whether there were significant differences in the basic information, laboratory test results, and newborns between the case and normal groups. Finally, multifactor ANOVA was used to determine the factors influencing the interval.
Results: 1. The two most common complications in preeclampsia were proteinuria (88.35%) and placental dysfunction (5.05%). Moreover, 72.04% of preeclampsia cases were diagnosed by abnormal blood pressure together with new-onset proteinuria. 2. The average interval between high blood pressure and proteinuria was 22 gestational days (from 0 to 106 days), and this interval was not significantly different between mild and severe PE (26 days vs. 21 days, P > 0.05) but significantly differed between early-onset and late-onset PE (9 days vs. 28 days, P < 0.05). 3. The number of prenatal visits, serum creatinine in the early trimester, gestational time and diastolic blood pressure value when increased blood pressure was initially detected may influence the interval between the onset of increased blood pressure and proteinuria.
Conclusion: New-onset proteinuria was still the main parameter for identifying preeclampsia. The interval between increased blood pressure and proteinuria was probably related to the imbalance in the sFlt-1/VEGF ratio; therefore, we should pay attention to monitor proteinuria during the prenatal visits, especially for patients with a lower frequency of prenatal visits, higher serum creatinine in the early trimester, earlier onset and higher diastolic blood pressure at the initial onset of increased blood pressure.
Keywords: Multifactor ANOVA; Preeclampsia; Proteinuria; Serum creatinine; Urinalysis.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.