Lactic Dehydrogenase Enzyme and Acid-Base Status in Severe Preeclampsia: A Case-Control Study Investigating the Impact of Obesity

Aims: Compare and correlate blood concentration of the LDH enzyme and arterial blood gas parameters of pregnant patients with severe preeclampsia (SP) with and without obesity.

Study Design: Case-control study.

Place and Duration of Study: Intensive Care Unit of High Specialty Medical Unit, Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital No. 3. National Medical Center “La Raza”, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Mexico City, in the year 2022.

Methodology: Case-control study carried out in 73 pregnant patients with SP. Case group: 34 patients with pregestational Body Mass Index (BMI) with obesity (BMI >30) who remained obese during pregnancy. Control group: 39 women matched by gestational age with normal pregestational BMI (BMI <25) who remained with BMI normal during pregnancy. Blood concentration of total LDH enzyme and arterial blood gas parameters upon admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were compared. The LDH correlations vs arterial blood gas parameters were calculated. Statistical analysis: descriptive statistics, paired Student's t test and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) were used with the SPSS™ version 24 program. The P value <0.05 was significant.

Results: No differences were found in the blood concentration of total LDH enzyme (case group 669.54±71.79 vs control group 474.75±30.33 U/L, P= .21). The arterial blood gas parameters showed data of compensated metabolic acidosis in both groups, but without significant differences (pH P= .42, lactate P= .060, bicarbonate P= .89, std bicarbonate P= .74, ecf base deficit P= .93, base deficit P= .73). The correlations between blood concentration of total LDH enzyme and arterial blood gas parameters were not significant.

Conclusion: Blood concentration of total LDH enzyme was similar. Both groups showed compensated metabolic acidosis without differences of gasometric parameters. No significant correlations were found.