Evaluating Ischemia-Modified Albumin as an Early Biomarker for Hypertensive Disorders During Pregnancy: A Case-Control Study

Background Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is looked upon as a newer marker of myocardial ischemia. There is a paucity of literature however with regard to studies correlating levels of IMA in patients with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The present study therefore aimed at estimating the levels of IMA in patients with gestational hypertension and assessing its utility in predicting hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Methods The present study was a hospital-based case-control study conducted in the Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur. IMA was estimated in 30 controls (Group I) and 20 cases of gestational hypertension (Group II) using a spectrophotometric assay detecting free unbound Cobalt left behind. The clinical data and lab results were presented as mean ± SD. Student’s t-test was applied and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated. A value of p < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. The ROC (Receiver Operator Characteristic) curve was used to establish the cut-off of serum IMA levels in pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Results There was no significant difference in age and period of gestation (POG) at the time of sample collection between the groups. There was a significant difference in the systolic and diastolic blood pressures (BPs) of both groups. The mean level of serum IMA was significantly higher in cases of gestational hypertension (0.88 ± 0.14 absorbance units {ABSU}) as compared to controls (0.69 ± 0.08 ABSU) (p<0.001). On correlation analysis, the systolic and diastolic BPs were found to be highly positively correlated with serum IMA levels (p<0.001). ROC curve analysis suggested that at a cut-off of 0.73 ABSU, IMA has 85% sensitivity and 80% specificity for predicting gestational hypertension. Conclusion Statistically significant results of serum IMA levels obtained in gestational hypertension which falls on the lesser severe spectrum of the disease imply that serum IMA can be used for early diagnosis of gestational hypertension and impending Pre-eclampsia (PE) and Eclampsia.