Serum hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and uterine artery Doppler ultrasound during the first trimester for prediction of preeclampsia

The objective of this study was to determine the predictive value of serum hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) combined with uterine artery Doppler in singleton pregnancy during 11–13(+6) weeks of gestation for preeclampsia. This prospective observational study was conducted in singleton pregnant women at 11–13(+6) weeks of gestation who visited the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University for antenatal care between February 2019 and May 2020. Serum HIF-1α levels and uterine artery Doppler ultrasound were performed. Pregnancy outcomes were recorded. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of these tests at the optimal cut-off values were determined to predict preeclampsia. A total of 385 participants were analyzed. Of these, 31 cases had preeclampsia (8.1%), and 6 cases of them had early-onset preeclampsia (1.6%). Preeclamptic women had significantly higher serum HIF-1α levels than normal pregnant women (median 1315.2 pg/ml vs. 699.5 pg/ml, p < 0.001). There was no difference in the mean pulsatility (PI) of the uterine artery. Serum HIF-1α levels were higher than 1.45 multiple of median for the gestational age as a cut-off value for predicting preeclampsia; the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 66.7%, 71.5%, 17.2%, and 96.2%, respectively. When a combination of abnormal serum HIF-1α levels and abnormal uterine artery Doppler PI (above the 95th percentile) were used as a predictive value to predict preeclampsia, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 74.2%, 67.2%, 16.6%, and 96.8%, respectively. This study showed that the serum HIF-1α levels with or without uterine artery Doppler at 11–13(+6) weeks of gestation were effective in predicting preeclampsia.