Maternal Serum Zinc Level and Pre-eclampsia Risk in African Women: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Tesfa et al., 2021 | Biol Trace Elem Res | Meta Analysis

Citation

Tesfa Endalamaw, Nibret Endalkachew, Munshea Abaineh. Maternal Serum Zinc Level and Pre-eclampsia Risk in African Women: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2021-Dec;199(12):4564-4571. doi:10.1007/s12011-021-02611-7

Abstract

Some studies have reported the association between maternal serum zinc (Zn) levels and pre-eclampsia. However, many studies have reported controversial results. Hence, this systematic review and meta-analysis was planned to generate summarized evidence on the association between maternal serum Zn levels and pre-eclampsia in African women. Four electronic databases such as PubMed, Hinari, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online were searched for studies published in English. Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument, and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used for data extraction and quality assessment of the included studies. The meta-regression analysis was performed by the Stata 14 software. The standardized mean difference (SMD) values of lipid profiles were computed to assess their association with pre-eclampsia at 95% CI. A total of 12 observational studies were included. The mean values of serum Zn level were significantly lower in pre-eclamptic women as compared with normotensive pregnant women (Zn = 59.40 ± 22.80 μg/dL and 80.24 ± 16.04 μg/dL), respectively. The pooled SMD of Zn was significantly reduced in pre-eclamptic women as compared with normotensive pregnant women with the SMD of -1.45 (95% CI -2.26, -0.65) at 95% CI. In this review, we found that the maternal Zn serum level was significantly reduced in pre-eclamptic women than normotensive pregnant women. This suggests that Zn could be involved in the etio-pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. However, the specific functions of Zn in pre-eclampsia pathogenesis should be proved in large-scale clinical trial studies.

Key Findings

However, the specific functions of Zn in pre-eclampsia pathogenesis should be proved in large-scale clinical trial studies.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 59
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Blood Pressure
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lipids
  • Pre-Eclampsia
  • Pregnancy
  • Zinc

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: zinc

Provenance


Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09