The Impact of Vitamin D and Acute Phase Proteins in the Diagnosis of Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Objective: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) has severe and dramatic consequences, and the cause of this severe disease has not yet been determined clearly. It is known that hormonal, metabolic, immunological, and inflammatory agents may be effective in their etiology. Our study aimed to investigate the possible role of vitamin D, Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Procalcitonin (PCT), and C- reactive Protein (CRP) in the etiology of HG. Method: In this retrospective study, between June 1, 2021, and January 1, 2022, 110 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 35 were admitted to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Polyclinic of the Sivas Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine. Fifty-five patients diagnosed with HG were taken as a study group, and fifty-five healthy pregnant women not diagnosed with HG were taken as a control group. Obstetric data and serum vitamin D, LDH, PCT, and CRP values of pregnant women were detected retrospectively. Results: When the groups with and without HG were compared, although the CRP and LDH levels were high in the HG group, they were not statistically significant (p = 0.084, p = 0.546). Vitamin D and PCT were significantly higher in the HG group than in the control group (p = 0.001, p = 0.047). Conclusion: Our study found that vitamin D and PCT levels were high in pregnant women with HG. Further studies with more participants are needed before these inflammatory markers can be used to diagnose HG.