Published online Jun 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i17.3993
Peer-review started: March 18, 2023
First decision: May 9, 2023
Revised: May 9, 2023
Accepted: May 15, 2023
Article in press: May 15, 2023
Published online: June 16, 2023
Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystemic metabolic disease with an undetermined etiology. PE is a worldwide cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity, subdi
To test whether plasma Ela could serve as a reliable marker for predicting PE based on the time of onset (EoPE vs LoPE) compared to age and body mass matched healthy controls since no definitive treatment exists for PE but to terminate a pregnancy.
This case-control study recruited (n = 90) pregnant who fulfilled inclusion criteria; they were allocated into three groups: EoPE (30/90) (< 34 wk of gestation); LoPE (30/90) (≥ 34 wk of gestation); and healthy pregnant (30/90). Demographic criteria; biochemical, hematological, and maternal plasma Ela levels were recorded for comparison.
Serum Ela was significantly reduced in EoPE compared to LoPE and healthy controls (P = 0.0023). The correlation confirmed a strong inverse relationship with mean atrial blood pressure (r = -0.7, P < 0.001), while gestational age and platelets count showed a moderate correlation with (r = 0.4 with P < 0.0001). No correlation was confirmed between the body mass index (BMI) and urine albumin. The predictive ability of 25 centile serum Ela had an Odds ratio of 5.21, 95% confidence interval (1.28, 21.24), P = 0.02 for predicting EoPE. The receiver operator characteristic curve defined the Ela cutoff value at > 9.156 with 96.7% and 93.3% sensitivity and specificity, P < 0.0001 in predicting EoPE.
A strong correlation of serum Ela with PE parameters with excellent sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing EoPE independent of the BMI, age, and blood pressure which makes Ela a recommendable marker in screening. Further research is warranted to explore prognostic and therapeutic applications for Ela in PE.
Core Tip: Preeclampsia (PE) is a worldwide cause of increased maternal and perinatal morbidity; PE is divided into early-onset and late-onset subtypes. The precise pathophysiology of PE is obscured, and currently no treatment exists but to terminate pregnancy. Several researches seek a reliable biomarker to anticipate PE to mitigate its negative effects. Elabela (Ela), a recently discovered peptide hormone secreted by the fetus and human placenta; animal studies confirmed Ela’s critical role in maintaining blood pressure; its deficiency was linked to elevated blood pressure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of Ela in predicting PE based on the time of occurrence.