Comparison of serum calcium level in hypertensive and normotensive pregnant women

Background: Calcium deficiency in pregnancy is linked to the risk of development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. At present, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are among leading causes of maternal death in Nigeria. This study was aimed to compare the serum calcium level of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and normotensive controls. Methodology: This was a comparative descriptive study among patients with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (45 pre-eclampsia [PE] and 45 gestational hypertension [GH]) and comparative group of 45 normotensive pregnant women at Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta. Results: The serum calcium level in normotensive controls (mean ± standard deviation) was 2.64 ± 1.38 mmol/l, women with GH was 2.39 ± 1.15 mmol/l, and PE was 2.08 ± 0.76 mmol/l (P = 0.065). Hypocalcemia was found to have an incidence rate of 33% in normotensive controls, 51.1% among GH, and 51.1% among PE. Conclusion: Pregnant women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy showed nonsignificant difference in mean serum calcium level.