Comparative study of age variations andhuman serum creatine, urea and uric acid levels in pregnant women at different trimesters of pregnancy

Abstract

This study is designed to evaluate human serum levels of creatinine, urea and uric acid in the different trimesters of pregnancy. A total number of 120 subjects were recruited from primary health care centres in Ekpoma [30 pregnant women for each of the trimesters (3x30=90) and 30 non-pregnant women serving as the control]. Venous blood samples were taken from all the subjects to determine the mean serum creatinine, urea and uric acid. The method used in the measurement of creatinine was the modified alkaline picrate method while the Urease-Berthelot’s method and the enzymatic colorimetric method (uricase) were used for the measurement of urea and uric acid respectively. The results showed that there was significant decrease (p<0.05) in the serum creatinine, urea and uric acid levels between the different trimesters and as compared to control values. It was also observed that the levels of creatinine and uric acid under the age range of 26-35 years were significantly lower (p<0.05) than 18-25years and 36-45 years, while the levels of urea across the various age groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). Conclusively, human serum creatinine, urea and uric acid levels decrease in pregnancy but progressively increase towards term.

Key Words: Pregnancy, Creatinine, Urea, Uric acid