Serum uric acid to creatinine ratio and risk of preeclampsia and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Objective: Preeclampsia is one of the most severe diseases among the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and the leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. It is of crucial importance to early identify women at a high risk for preeclampsia to implement appropriate preventive strategies. In our study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that serum uric acid to creatinine ratio (SUA/sCr) is related to the development of preeclampsia and maternal and neonatal complications.

Methods: We searched for uric acid and creatine values in the medical records of 269 women who consecutively attended our HDP Clinic from December 2018 to December 2022. We compared the baseline characteristics of participants with normotensive pregnancy ( n = 57), to those with HDP without preeclampsia (HDP-non-PE) ( n = 100) and those with preeclampsia ( n = 112), and we performed adjusted logistic regression analysis to test the associations between SUA/sCr and the development of preeclampsia and maternal and neonatal complications.

Results: SUA/sCr was consistently higher in women with preeclampsia in all trimesters of pregnancy. Higher SUA/sCr at the third trimester was associated with an increased odd of developing preeclampsia [odds ratio (OR) 1.29, confidence interval (CI) 1.15-1.50, P = 0.001], preterm birth (OR 1.23, CI 1.05-1.45, P = 0.011), and composite neonatal outcome (OR 1.33, CI 1.12-1.59, P = 0.001), after adjustment for age, BMI before pregnancy, nulliparity, antihypertensive therapy, and acetylsalicylic acid therapy during pregnancy.

Conclusions: Having higher SUA/sCr during pregnancy is associated with the development of PE and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Controlled prospective studies are warranted to clarify the predictive power of this novel marker during pregnancy.