An evaluation of serum boron level in pregnancies with severe pre-eclampsia

Objectives: Serum boron level has not been studied in pregnancies with pre-eclampsia. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of serum boron in pregnancies with early onset severe pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnancies. Methods: The study included 43 pregnant patients with early onset severe pre-eclampsia and a control group of 30 healthy pregnant patients. Results: The serum boron levels of the patients with severe pre-eclampsia were determined to be significantly higher than those of the control group (28.8 v.s 12.7 mu g/L;p<0.05). A statistically significant correlation was determined between the serum boron level and the serum ALT level (r:482, p<0.001), serum AST level (r=554, p<0.001), and platelet count (r=-549, p<0.001). High values of serum boron indicated the presence of pre-eclampsia, with a diagnostic cut-off point of 11.65 mu g/L, with 76.7 % sensitivity and 76.7 % specificity (p<0.001, area under curve: 0.832, Confidence interval: 0.736-0.928). Conclusions: An increase in serum boron levels without reaching clinically toxic levels may contribute to the development of pre-eclampsia, probably by causing impairment in the placentation process. The current study can be considered of value as the first study in literature to show that serum boron levels were increased in pregnancies with early onset severe pre-eclampsia.