Determination of urine protein levels and analysis of differences in vascular endothelial growth factor levels between early onset and late onset preeclampsia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a disease with the high mortality rate. Data indicate that 23.5% of maternal deaths due to preeclampsia. Urine protein testing is essential for pregnant women to discover the function of kidney during pregnancy and to identify the presence of preeclampsia, both mild and severe, which it can lead to eclampsia. Preeclampsia based on onset can also be detected by examining serum biomarkers of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). AIM: The aim of this study was to overview the urine protein levels and analyzed the differences serum VEGF levels between the early and late onset of preeclampsia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used design of the cross-sectional comparative study in RSUP DR. M Djamil Padang, Pariaman Hospital, Aisiyah Pariaman Hospital, and Padang Pariaman Regional Hospital for 2 years. The population in this study consisted of patients with early and late onset preeclampsia who went to the study site during that time and met the inclusion criteria. Sampling with consecutive sampling consisted of 28 people per group. RESULTS: The results revealed that the number of patients who had urine protein levels with a value of 2+ at the early onset was 14 and at the late onset was 12, meanwhile for patients with a urine protein content value of 3+ at the early onset it was 14 and at the late onset was 10. For the category urine protein with a value of 4+ amounted to six people only in the late onset group. The results of the normality test showed that the mean value of VEGF levels at early onset and late onset was 3.91 pg/ml and 4.3 pg/ml, respectively. Thus, the level of VEGF serum had an abnormal distribution and it led to the t-test data could not be tested. So then, the testing was done using a non-parametric test, namely, the Mann–Whitney test. The mean levels of VEGF, respectively, based on the Mann– Whitney test for early onset preeclampsia and late onset preeclampsia were 29.75 ng/mL and 30.25 ng/mL. VEGF in early onset preeclampsia is lower than late onset preeclampsia. CONCLUSION: Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that there was no significant difference in the level of VEGF in early onset preeclampsia and late onset preeclampsia (p = 0.42).