Evaluation between Serum Level CRP and Maternal Outcomes that includes Preterm Delivery: A Prospective Analysis

Abstract

Background and Aim: C-reactive protein is commonly employed as a biomarker to track the development of
inflammatory and infectious disorders. There aren’t many researches that have investigated the link between maternal serum CRP concentrations early in pregnancy and preterm birth or neonatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between serum level CRP and maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes including preterm delivery and Small for gestational age (SGA).
Material and Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 400 pregnant women who delivered at the
Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of a medical college and affiliated hospital for the period of one year.
Pregnant women who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled after giving their informed consent, and the serum C-reactive protein levels were measured at the gestational age (GA) of 14 to 20 weeks. Pregnant women were then followed up to delivery, and based on the GA at delivery, they were divided into preterm and non-preterm groups. A reference level of 1.5 mg/dl is used. Therefore, pregnancies with high maternal serum C - reactive protein were those in which the maternal serum level was above 1.5 mg/dl.
Results: A total of 296 individuals in group A and 104 individuals in group B had CRP levels below 1.5 mg/dl,
respectively. This study’s average gestational age was 18.8 weeks. The minimum and maximum gestational ages were 12+1 and 21+3 weeks, respectively. In this study, 316 individuals delivered at term, while 84 people delivered preterm. In the population under study, 114 individuals underwent LSCS, while the remaining 286 women gave birth vaginally. 400 patients in total were included in the study; 316 had CRP levels under 1.5; of these, 272 had term deliveries, while 24 had preterm births. The remaining 84 individuals had a CRP of greater than 1.5; of these, 60 had preterm deliveries and 24 had term births.
Conclusion: Assessment of maternal concentrations of CRP can be used as suitable biomarker for predicting
preterm labor, and also despite the limitation in the number of patients, response to tocolytic therapy in our study was predictable by the evaluation concentrations of CRP of these women.