Serum uric acid levels as a biomarker for perinatal outcomes among mothers with pre- eclampsia in Tanzania

Background Preeclampsia is one of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with significantly high morbidity and mortality to both mother and fetus. Preeclampsia is associated with high Uric acid, yet its utility in predicting the perinatal outcome is still controversial. Therefore, this study was done to determine the utility of serum uric acid levels as a biomarker for perinatal outcomes among pregnant mothers with pre-eclampsia in Tanzania. Methods A Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between April and July 2020 to assess the utility of uric acid as a biomarker for perinatal outcomes in Tanzania. A total of 268 mothers were recruited consecutively soon after delivery. A checklist was used to document the mothers' and neonates' demographic and clinical characteristics, uric acid levels, and adverse neonatal birth outcomes. Analysis was done using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. Data were summarized using frequency and percentages for categorical variables and mean and standard deviation for continuous variables. Binary logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with poor perinatal outcomes. A P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Out of 268 mothers, 211 (78.7%) had raised serum uric acid, whereas an overall mean (± SD) serum uric acid level was 0.42 ± 0.09mmol/L. The magnitude of adverse perinatal outcomes was 51 (19%) stillbirth, 184(68.7%) low birth weight, 33 (12.3%) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, 72 (26.9%) low Apgar score, and 190 (70.9%) for preterm delivery. Pre-eclamptic pregnant women with serum uric acid levels < 0.35 mmol/L were more likely to have good perinatal outcomes and the difference was statistically significant, OR (0.39 (0.18–0.80) 0.011) Conclusion Serum uric acid levels can predict perinatal outcomes among pre-eclamptic pregnant women. Further study is recommended to assess the sensitivity and specificity of uric acid levels as a biomarker for perinatal outcomes.