The concentrations of serum uric acid, urea and creatinine were determined in 75 pregnant women categorized into 3 groups of 25 each, based on their trimesters of pregnancy and 25 non-pregnant women used as control. In the first trimester, the mean values of uric acid, urea and creatinine are 122 μmol/L, 3.6 mmol/L and 88 μmol/L respectively. There was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the levels of uric acid and creatinine but no significant (p>0.05) difference in the level of urea, when compared with the control levels of 308 μmol/L, 113 μmol/L and 4.11 mmol/L respectively. In the second trimester, the values of uric acid, urea and creatinine were 199 μmol/L, 3.49 mmol/L and 82 μmol/L respectively. There was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the levels of uric acid and creatinine but the decrease in the level of urea was not significant (p>0.05). In the third trimester of pregnancy, the values of uric acid, urea and creatinine were 360 μmol/L, 3.29 mmol/L and 61 μmol/L respectively. There was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the levels of creatinine and a significant (p<0.05) increase in the level of uric acid, but no significant (p>0.05) difference in the level of urea when compared with the controls. The progressive decrease in the levels of creatinine through the 3 trimesters of pregnancy suggests an increase in glomerular filtration rate, probably due to increased cardiac output, renal blood flow and changes in fluid distribution, while the progressive increase in the levels of uric acid through the trimesters of pregnancy suggests an impairment in uric acid excretion, may be with concomitant increase in renal tubular re-absorption of uric acid, thereby leading to hyperuricaemia.
