Relationship between serum selenium deficiency and preeclampsia among pregnant women at the Rivers State university teaching hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Preeclampsia is a multi-system disorder of pregnancy. It is associated with a significantly increased risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Oxidative stress has been implicated. Selenium is a very important trace element in the synthesis of endogenous antioxidants which help to balance the effects of oxidative free radicals. This study sought to determine the relationship between serum selenium deficiency and preeclampsia among pregnant women.
Method: A prospective case-control study was carried out on consenting preeclamptic (135) and normotensive (135) pregnant women in their second half of pregnancy. Blood samples were taken for serum selenium estimation and analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Their Socio-demographic information was collected through a structured proforma. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. A P-value of < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
Results: There was no significant difference in characteristics between the two groups. The mean selenium level of the preeclamptic women (0.52 ± 0.31µmol/l) was significantly (P=0.001) lower than that of the normotensive women (0.73 ± 0.24µmol/l). Bivariate analysis showed that preeclamptic women were 3.6 times more likely to have a deficiency in selenium compared to normotensive women (OR=3.61; P=0.001; 95%CI: 2.13-6.10). No significant difference was noted in the serum level of selenium in patients with mild versus severe preeclampsia.
Conclusion: This study showed that pregnant women with selenium deficiency were 3.6 times more likely to develop preeclampsia compared to healthy normotensive pregnant women. However, there was no significant difference between levels in mild compared to severe preeclamptic women.