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. 2023 Nov;51(11):3000605231209159.
doi: 10.1177/03000605231209159.

Maternal antioxidant micronutrient deficiencies among pre-eclamptic women in Enugu, Nigeria: a cross-sectional analytical study

Joseph Tochukwu Enebe  1 , Cyril Chukwudi Dim  2 , Akudo Chidimma Omeke  1
Affiliations

Maternal antioxidant micronutrient deficiencies among pre-eclamptic women in Enugu, Nigeria: a cross-sectional analytical study

Joseph Tochukwu Enebe et al. J Int Med Res. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of antioxidant micronutrient deficiencies in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnant women, and to assess the relationships between trace element deficiency in pregnancy and the severity of pre-eclampsia in Enugu, Nigeria.

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional analytical study of serum concentrations of copper, selenium, zinc, magnesium, and manganese in 81 pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnant women (controls) who were matched for age, gestational age, body mass index, and parity. This study was performed at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu. Participants' sera were analyzed with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

Results: Trace element deficiencies were common and similar between women with pre-eclampsia and controls. However, women with pre-eclampsia were more likely to be deficient in manganese than controls (odds ratio = 2.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.90-2.75). Among the micronutrients studied, only manganese concentrations were significantly lower in women without severe symptoms of pre-eclampsia than in those with severe symptoms of pre-eclampsia.

Conclusions: Micronutrient deficiency is common in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and in healthy pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria. Only manganese deficiency is higher in women with pre-eclampsia than in healthy pregnant women.

Keywords: Pre-eclampsia; copper; deficiency; magnesium; manganese; micro-nutrient; selenium; zinc.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestThe authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow chart showing the number of pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnant women who were recruited, and details of sera that were analyzed in both groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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