Does the level of serotonin and catecholamine metabolites affect the severity of hyperemesis gravidarum? Serotonin and catecholamine levels in hyperemesis gravidarum

Aim: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) affects most pregnant women and its etiology is unclear. This study investigates the effect of serotonin and catecholamine metabolite levels on hyperemesis gravidarum severity. Material and Methods: The study was designed as a prospective observational cohort study with 90 pregnant women who applied to the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic between September 2019-January 2020. Women between 18 and 42 years of age were divided into three groups; the first group (Group 1) included women diagnosed with severe hyperemesis gravidarum requiring hospitalization, and the second group (Group 2) included women with hyperemesis gravidarum not requiring hospitalization. The third group (Group 3) included healthy pregnant women in the first trimester. The criteria for hospitalization were ketone positivity in urinalysis and intolerance to oral nutrition. The primary outcome of our study was to examine any difference between groups in terms serotonin, adrenaline, dopamine, metanephrine, noradrenaline, and normetanephrine levels. Results: A total of 90 women were included; severe HG (Group 1) (n=30), mild HG (Group 2) (n=30) and control (Group 3) (n=30). There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups regarding demographic features. Dopamine values were lower in Group 1 and Group 2 than in the control group (19.5 +/- 10.6 pg/mL; 16.3 +/- 11.1 and 30.8 +/- 12.9, respectively, the Kruskal-Wallis test p<0.001). Discussion: In this study, dopamine levels were significantly lower than in the control group. Our study may be useful to elucidate the etiology of HG; however, future studies are needed with a large sample size.