title: Ionized calcium levels in umbilical cord blood of women with preeclampsia and normotensive pregnancies.
abstract: Calcium is essential for normal fetal growth and development. During intrauterine life, the fetus is entirely dependent on the mother and a normally functioning placenta for calcium accretion. Preeclampsia is associated with abnormal calcium metabolism and placental dysfunction. The objective of our study was to investigate ionized calcium levels in the umbilical cord arterial blood of women with preeclampsia and normotensive pregnancies. There were 24 women in the preeclampsia group and 25 in the normotensive group. There was no difference in the cord pH and fetal growth restriction between the two groups. Ionized calcium levels were significantly lower in the preeclampsia group (p < 0.001). Our results emphasize the need for further studies on the calcium status of infants born to mothers with preeclampsia.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute of Child and Maternal Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. kyusuf@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: Kamran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yusuf
authors.forename: Majeeda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamaluddeen
authors.forename: Shabih U
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.forename: Essa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Al-Awad
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Finch
authors.forename: Albert R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Akierman
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium