Copper, Zinc, and Selenium Levels During Pregnancy and Their Relationship with Pre-Eclampsia Risk: A Systematic...

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Nutritional Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a major global health concern, impacting maternal and fetal well-being.
• Micronutrients such as copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) are hypothesized to influence PE development.
• Existing research lacks quality assessment and bias analysis regarding these micronutrients in PE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze the quality of evidence on the association between Cu, Se, and Zn levels and PE.
• To identify research gaps and guide future studies on micronutrient status in pregnancies affected by PE.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search conducted across LILACS, PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (Jan 2000 - Jan 2024).
• Adherence to PRISMA guidelines and PROSPERO registration (CRD42022302298).
• Quality assessment using Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal and Cochrane Risk of Bias Tools for 42 selected manuscripts.

Main Results:

• 69 out of 76 analyses were classified as fair/low-quality with bias, precluding meta-analysis.
• High-quality studies on Cu yielded conflicting results; studies on Zn showed no significant differences between normal and PE pregnancies.
• No high-quality studies were identified for Se, indicating a significant research gap.

Conclusions:

• The current body of evidence on Cu, Se, and Zn in PE is largely of low quality and potentially biased.
• Robust research guidelines are urgently needed to address the role of micronutrients in PE.
• Further high-quality research is essential to clarify the relationship between these micronutrients and pre-eclampsia.