Hepcidin and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Obese Patients with Severe Preeclampsia

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity during pregnancy not only increases the risk of preeclampsia but also affects the iron status and inflamation of both the mother and the fetus. Chronic inflammation associated with obesity can increase the production of hepcidin, which in turn reduces iron absorption. However, the relationship between hepcidin and CRP in obese preeclampsia pregnant women remain understudied.

Objectives:  This study aimed to assess the relationship between hepcidin levels and C-reactive protein in obese and non-obese preeclamptic pregnant women.

Methods:  The research was conducted cross-sectionally, with a total of 80 samples collected from 45 obese preeclamptic mothers and 35 non-obese preeclamptic mothers. Hepcidin and CRP levels were examined using the ELISA method, examination was conducted using Quantikine  reagents for hepcidin and Roche reagents for CRP.

Results:  The results we obtained show that the average hepcidin levels in the obese preeclamptic pregnant women group were higher than in the non-obese group, namely 28030.00 pg/ml vs 27315.00 pg/ml (p > 0.05), but this difference is not significant. These results indicate that in obese preeclamptic pregnant women, there is a stronger inflammation compared to the non-obese preeclamptic group. The average CRP levels we found in obese preeclamptic pregnant women were 31.89 mg/L, while in the non-obese preeclamptic group, it was 42.03 mg/L (p > 0.05). Although the CRP levels in the obese preeclamptic group were lower than in the non-obese preeclamptic group, this difference did not show a significant relationship

Conclusions: Obese preeclampsia patients exhibit elevated levels of hepcidin, which are positively correlated with the levels observed in non obese preeclampsia patients indicating that an inflammatory process occurs in both the obese and non-obese groups of preeclampsia patients.