Correlation analysis of levels of inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide in peripheral blood with urine proteins and renal function in patients with gestational hypertension

The aim of the study was to investigate correlations among inflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) level, urine protein, renal function and blood pressure in peripheral blood of patients with hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy (HDCP). A total of 60 patients diagnosed with HDCP in the Obstetrics Department of Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from May 2016 to April 2017 were selected. The patients were divided into the HDCP (n=20), mild pre-eclampsia (n=20) and severe pre-eclampsia (n=20) groups. Additionally, 20 healthy pregnant women were selected as the control group. General data of the patients were collected. NO, renal function and 24-h urine protein were measured. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the HDCP group was significantly higher than that in the control group. The CRP, TNF- and IL-6 levels in the pre-eclampsia groups were higher than those in the gestational hypertension group (P<0.05). The NO level in peripheral blood of patients in the pre-eclampsia groups was lower than that in the gestational hypertension group (P<0.05). The levels of 24-h urine protein, homocysteine (Hcy), cystatin-C (Cys-C), serum creatinine (SCr), urea and 2 microglobulin in the pre-eclampsia groups were higher than those in the gestational hypertension group (P<0.05). Gestational age and the levels of baseline blood pressure, inflammatory cytokines, 24-h urine protein and renal function have independent predictive value for the occurrence of HDCP (P<0.05). The results show that, 24-h urine protein, renal function and inflammatory cytokines are closely correlated with the occurrence of HDCP, which can reflect the severity and prognosis of the disease to a certain extent. In addition, it has important reference value for the assessment and treatment of the disease.