Predictive Value of Clinical and Laboratory Indices at First Assessment in Women Referred with Suspected Gestational Hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To establish the predictive value of tests in women referred with suspected gestational hypertension (GH) for preeclampsia and other adverse outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of a database of clinical laboratory records of 560 women referred to day care was carried out for the prediction of adverse fetal and maternal outcomes. RESULTS: Gestational age at first presentation < 32 weeks, gestation-standardised blood pressure parameters and serum uric acid were more predictive of the development of preeclampsia, delivery before 34 weeks, severe hypertension and fetal growth restriction than absolute values. Alanine transaminase and platelet counts were not predictive. CONCLUSION: The predictive value of blood pressure and serum uric acid are improved when they are standardised as z-scores but there appears to be no value to assessing other laboratory indices when women first present with GH without proteinuria.