Recurrent HG-IMA (Raw data)

Purpose: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is an extreme form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy with high recurrence rates. Our aim was to investigate the role of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) in predicting the recurrence of HG, in which increased oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted involving 138 eligible participants with singleton pregnancies of less than 9 weeks who had experienced HG in previous pregnancies. Blood samples were taken from the participants provided that they had no symptoms of nausea and vomiting at that time. The samples were stored under appropriate conditions to be analyzed for IMA in due course. All participants were then followed to determine whether they would develop recurrent HG by 20 weeks’ gestation Results: ​Hyperemesis gravidarum recurred in 42 of the 138 participants (recurrent HG group), while the remaining 96 participants did not develop HG (control group). Baseline characteristics showed no significant differences. IMA levels were significantly higher in participants who subsequently developed HG (p<0.001). No significant correlations found between IMA and body mass index, gestational age at sampling or maternal age. IMA with cut-off values of >0.41 absorbance unit or >74.74 ng/mL (95% sensitivity, 67% specificity) had discriminatory power with an AUC value of 0.791 (95% CI: 0.714-0.856; p<0.001) for predicting recurrent HG. Conclusion: Our results show an association between high IMA levels in early pregnancy and an increased risk of HG recurrence. IMA can be used as a predictive tool for HG recurrence.