The correlation of maternal uric acid concentration with small-for-gestational-age fetuses in normotensive pregnant women

Abstract

Aim: Elevated maternal serum uric acid is associated with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses. We investigated whether uric acid concentrations in normotensive pregnant women are correlated with fetal growth and related to kidney function.

Methods: We carried out a case-control study using 40 patients who delivered SGA fetuses identified from the perinatal database and 80 patients who delivered appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) fetuses as the controls at Okayama University Hospital. Blood pressure, serum uric acid and creatinine level were measured in the patients' third trimester.

Results: Maternal serum uric acid (p = 0.0003) and creatinine (p < 0.0001) concentrations, as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressures (p =0.014 and 0.037, respectively), were significantly increased in the SGA group. There was a strong negative correlation between serum uric acid levels and birth weights (r = -0.59; p = 0.006) and a significant positive correlation between maternal serum uric acid and creatinine levels (r = 0.43; p < 0.05) in cases of severe SGA (<5th percentile). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that uric acid is an independent risk factor for SGA.

Conclusions: Increasing maternal uric acid concentrations were associated with slightly impaired kidney function and SGA in normotensive pregnant women.