BETA HCG in Mid Trimester as a Predictor of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension

Background Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is the development of hypertension in a pregnant woman after 20 weeks of gestation. Women with high serum beta-HCG levels in early pregnancy are at higher risk of developing PIH. Aim The present study aims to find the relationship between serum Beta-HCG levels at mid trimester (13-20 weeks) and development of pregnancy induced hypertension. Material and Methods Serum beta-HCG estimation was done by CLIA method in 500 women between 13 to 20 weeks of gestation, selected randomly for this study from April 2013 to September 2014. Multiple of median (MOM) was calculated from charts of norms available for that weeks of pregnancy. Cases were followed till delivery for the development of PIH and results analysed statistically with Chi-square test. Result Out of 500 cases, 447 (89.4 %) were finally evaluated in which 387 cases (86.57 %), had Beta- HCG levels, 2 MOM. Out of 387 cases with Beta-HCG levels less than 2 MOM, only 6 cases (1.56 %) developed pregnancy induced hypertension. The remaining cases, 381 (98.44 %), were normotensive and out of 60 cases with Beta-HCG values greater than2MOM, 55 cases (81.67 %) developed pregnancy induced hypertension, and only 11 cases (18.33 %) were normotensive. The p value for this parameter when calculated for the development of pregnancy induced hypertension, came out to be