The value of elevated second trimester human chorionic gonadotropin levels in predicting development of pregnancy - induced hypertension.

Kim, Hyun Soo; Oh, Min Jeong; Kim, Hai Joong

Original Article

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 1999;42(1):85-89.
Published online January 1, 2001.

The value of elevated second trimester human chorionic gonadotropin levels in predicting development of pregnancy - induced hypertension.

Hyun Soo Kim, Min Jeong Oh, Hai Joong Kim

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to evaluate whether maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin(hCG) level measured during second trimester could be used as a predictor of pregnancy-induced hypertension. METHODS: Between March 1996 and November l997, 505 pregnant women undergoing second trimester(14-22 weeks of amenorrhea) triple marker screening for neural tube defect and Down syndrome who delivered at our institution were reviewed. All samples were assayed in the same laboratory and medical records were reviewed about medical and obstetrical history. RESULTS: Maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin level(multiples of the median, MoM) was significantly higher in the pregnancy-induced hypertension group than in the control group. With the use of 2. l multiples of the median as a cutoff value, the sensitivity of human chorionic gonadotropin as a screening marker for development of pregnancy-induced hypertension was 38.7%, the specificity was 95.9%, positive predictive value was 38.7% and negative predictive value was 95.9%. Conlusion: We suggest that second trimester maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels can be used clinically as an early predictive marker for pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Key Words: pregnancy-induced hypertension, human chorionic gonadotropin