Comparative Study Of Stress Marker (CORTISOL) Levels in Preeclamptic Pregnant Women in the Third Trimester Of Pregnancy

Abstract

At present, little is known in Nigeria and globally about the association between stress and cortisol secretion in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnant women. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication that involves high blood pressure and organ damage, and it has been associated with various physiological alterations. This study aims to determine the comparative levels of cortisol, a stress marker, in preeclamptic pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Cortisol levels are known to fluctuate in response to stress, and altered levels may indicate an underlying pathophysiological process. Forty (40) consenting pregnant women were recruited from St. Philomina Catholic Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria. Blood samples were collected and spun in a bucket centrifuge at 2500 RPM (rounds per minute) for 10 minutes. The plasma was stored frozen in plain sample bottles and analyzed for cortisol levels using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The data obtained were analyzed using GraphPad Prism 9 software. Results were expressed as mean ± SEM, and a P-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The study found that cortisol levels significantly increased from 226.4 ± 36.53 nmol/L in normotensive women to 370.7 ± 36.47 nmol/L in preeclamptic women (p<0.05, <0.0081). This increase was statistically significant, suggesting that elevated cortisol levels in preeclamptic women may be linked to stress and potentially to oxidative stress cascade activation. These findings contribute to the understanding of stress-related physiological changes in preeclampsia and may offer insights for future diagnostic or therapeutic approaches.