Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.
Sec. Family Medicine and Primary Care
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1451036

Electrolyte imbalance and liver function test abnormalities among pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum at Wag-himra zone public Hospitals, northeast Ethiopia, 2023: A comparative cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
Abebaw Worede Belay Abebaw Worede Belay 1,2*Teshiwal Deress Yazie Teshiwal Deress Yazie 3Habtamu Wondifraw Baynes Habtamu Wondifraw Baynes 2Getnet Fetene Teshome Getnet Fetene Teshome 2Alemseged Berie Kasahun Alemseged Berie Kasahun 2
  • 1 University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
  • 2 College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
  • 3 School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Hyperemesis gravidarum affects about 4.8% of pregnant women. It can lead to electrolyte imbalances and liver function disturbances, which may result in pregnancy complications. Despite its prevalence, data on these abnormalities in the study area is scarce.Therefore, the current study investigated these health concerns among HG-affected pregnant women in this region from June to October 2023.A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 123 study participants. Sociodemographic, clinical, and anthropometric data were collected using structured questionnaires.Blood samples were taken to determine liver function tests and electrolyte levels. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way ANOVA with a Tuckey post hoc test, Kruskal-Wallis with a Mann-Whitney U test, and binary logistic regression analysis. A p-value of < 0.05 with 95% confidence intervals was considered statistically significant.The results showed that pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum had significantly higher levels of AST and ALT and lower levels of Na+ and K+ compared to normal pregnant women and non-pregnant women. The abnormalities observed were elevated AST (48.8%), ALT (46.3%), and decreased Na+ (51.2%) and K+ (41.5%). Hyperemesis gravidarum was associated with both electrolyte imbalances and liver function test abnormalities.Pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum experience electrolyte imbalances and liver function test abnormalities. Given the marked increase in liver enzymes and decrease in electrolyte levels, the authors recommend routine laboratory testing of liver function and electrolyte parameters for pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum is recommended.

    Keywords: Hyperemesis gravidrum, electrolyte imbalances, Liver function test abnormalities, Pregnant Women, Wag-himra zone, Public hospitals

    Received: 18 Jun 2024; Accepted: 03 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Belay, Yazie, Baynes, Teshome and Kasahun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Abebaw Worede Belay, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.