Spot Urinary Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio: A Novel Marker for Detecting Fetomaternal Outcomes and Complications in Preeclamptic Women

Abstract

Introduction Preeclampsia is a multisystem endothelial disease leading to glomeruloendotheliosis with endothelial leak causing significant proteinuria. It is associated with high maternal and fetal risks and fetomaternal morbidity and mortality. Spot urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) leads to earlier detection of glomerular damage leading to prompt management of preeclamptic patients. Aims and Objectives To study the correlation between fetomaternal outcomes of preeclamptic patients with spot urinary ACR. Materials and Methods Spot urinary ACR was measured in 70 consecutive patients with preeclampsia in Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh. The best cutoff value to differentiate between significant and insignificant proteinuria was calculated. Mean spot urinary ACR was calculated in all maternal outcomes (mode of onset of labor and mode of delivery), and maternal complications (elevated liver enzymes, renal insufficiency, severe hypertension, coagulation disturbances and thrombocytopenia, antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage) and fetal complications and outcomes (birth weight, Apgar score, IUGR, need for resuscitation, NICU requirement, neonatal sepsis, jaundice and mortality) and the correlation were studied. Results The best cutoff value to differentiate significant and insignificant proteinuria was calculated as 291.9\xa0mg/g beyond which adverse fetomaternal outcomes and complications were seen. All maternal and fetal outcomes and complications had high mean spot urinary ACR and were found to be significant ( p \u2009<\u20090.05). Mode of delivery and birth weight of babies showed no statistical significance though low-birth-weight babies had high mean spot ACR. Conclusion Compared with 24-h urinary protein excretion, spot urinary ACR is a simple and accurate indicator of significant proteinuria and helps to detect fetomaternal outcomes in preeclamptic women which may lead to prompt management to reduce fetomaternal complications.