April 2019 · Volume 8 · Issue 4 Page 1505 International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology Bhandari N et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2019 Apr;8(4):1505-1510 www.ijrcog.org pISSN 2320-1770 | eISSN 2320-1789 Original Research Article Lactate dehydrogenase levels in preeclampsia and its correlation with maternal and perinatal outcome Nirmala Bhandari 1 *, Anjali Gupta 1 , Simmi Kharb 2 , Meenakshi Chauhan 1 INTRODUCTION Preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder which complicates 5-8% of all pregnancies. 1 It is still regarded as disease of theories and its etiology has been poorly understood. There is increasing evidence that endothelial cell and altered endothelial cell function play an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. 2 Preeclampsia account for approximately 63,000 maternal deaths annually worldwide. 3 In developed countries, the maternal death rate is reportedly 0-1.8%. The maternal mortality rate is as high as 14% in developing countries. 4,5 The fetal mortality rate varies from 13-30%. In India, the incidence of preeclampsia is reported to be 8-10% among the pregnant women. 6,7 Studies have shown that LDH activity and gene expression are higher in placentas of pre-eclampsia than normal pregnancy. 8,9 The effects of LDH in pregnancy related complications like preeclampsia is now gaining attention. LDH is an intracellular enzyme and its level is increased in these ABSTRACT Background: Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy occurs in approximately 6-8% of all pregnancies. The most serious consequences for the mother and the baby are the result of preeclampsia and eclampsia. Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) is an intracellular enzyme. Recently LDH has been suggested as potential marker to predict severity of pre- eclampsia. The objective of the present study was to compare the serum lactate dehydrogenase levels in women with preeclampsia and normal pregnant women and to correlate lactate dehydrogenase levels with maternal and perinatal outcome in preeclampsia. Methods: An observational prospective study was conducted on 200 antenatal women attending the labour room emergency. Women with singleton pregnancy and cephalic presentation, from 28 weeks onwards were enrolled in the study. Out of 200, 100 were normal pregnant women and 100 were preeclamptic women. Serum LDH levels were measured in all women and maternal and perinatal outcome was assessed in terms of LDH levels. Results: Higher levels of LDH was observed in pregnant women with preeclampsia (627.38±230.04 IU/l) as compared to normal pregnant women (224.43±116.61 IU/l). The maternal complications were found to be maximum in women with LDH > 800 IU/l. Abruption was the most common complication. The perinatal mortality and neonatal deaths were found to have significant correlation with high LDH levels. Conclusions: Maternal and perinatal complications were associated with higher LDH levels in preeclampsia patients. Serum LDH levels can be offered to all patients of preeclampsia and can be used to predict the prognosis of preeclampsia. Keywords: Maternal outcome, Lactate dehydrogenease, Preeclampsia, Perinatal outcome 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2 Department of Biochemistry, Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India Received: 11 February 2019 Accepted: 07 March 2019 *Correspondence: Dr. Nirmala Bhandari, E-mail: neerubh23@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20191208