Early diagnosis of preeclampsia by 8 and 12 h urine protein

Abstract

Present research aim is to determine whether quantitative measurements of 8 and 12 h urine protein vs. 24 h sample are accurate in diagnosing preeclampsia and in differentiating mild from severe disease. The longitudinal-experimental method conducted on 60 preeclamptic women (30 patients with mild preeclampsia and 30 patients with severe preeclampsia). The 8, 12 and 24 h urine protein were compared and results were analyzed by the SPSS-10 statistical software. There was a significant relation between diagnosis of preeclampsia and the amounts of 8, 12 and 24 h urine protein (p = 0.000). The relation of systolic (p = 0.000) and diastolic (p = 0.001) blood pressure with severity of preeclampsia was significant. There was significant relation between gestational age and severity of disease (p 0.012) but the relation of gestational age with parity, gravidity, serum creatinine level, urine volume and urine creatinine level was not significant (p>0.05). Determining total protein of 8 and 12 h urine samples can be a good alternative for 24 h urine protein measurement. This would lead to a faster diagnosis for severe preeclampsia, earlier treatment and consequently reducing morbidity and mortality of mother and fetus/infant.