Investigation of Serum Phoenixin-14 Concentration in Pregnant Women Diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship between the hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and maternal serum phoenixin-14 (PNX-14) concentrations.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 88 pregnant women who applied to the Umraniye Training and Research Hospital Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic between February 2022 and October 2022. The HG group consisted of 44 pregnant women diagnosed with HG between the 7th and 14th gestational weeks, and the control group consisted of 44 healthy pregnant women matched with the HG group in terms of age, BMI, and gestational week. Demographic characteristics, ultrasound findings, and laboratory outcomes were noted. The two groups were compared in terms of maternal serum PNX-14 concentrations.

Results: Gestational age at blood sampling for PNX-14 was similar in both groups (p=1.000). While maternal serum PNX-14 concentration was 85.5 pg/ml in the HG group, it was 71.3 pg/ml in the control group (p=0.012). ROC analysis was performed to determine the value of maternal serum PNX-14 concentration in terms of predicting HG. AUC analysis of maternal serum PNX-14 for HG estimation was 0.656 (p=0.012, 95% CI=0.54-0.77). The optimal cutoff value for maternal serum PNX-14 concentration was determined as 79.81 pg/ml with 59% sensitivity and 59% specificity.

Conclusion: In this study, maternal serum PNX-14 concentration was found to be higher in pregnant women with HG, which indicates that high serum PNX-14 concentrations may have an anorexigenic effect on food intake in pregnancy. Concentrations of other PNX isoforms in HG and changes in PNX concentrations in pregnant women with HG who regained weight after treatment remain to be investigated.