Abstract:Objective To study the serum expressions of urotensin Ⅱ (U Ⅱ) and platelet activating factor (PAF) in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension of different severity and their correlations with cardiac function.Methods A total of 564 patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension treated in our department from January 2017 to January 2020 were selected, among which 254 were gestational hypertension, 186 were mild preeclampsia, and 124 were severe preeclampsia. Another 100 healthy pregnant women in our hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. The serum levels of U Ⅱ and PAF and cardiac function were compared among patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension of different severity and those in the control group. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to investigate the correlations between the serum levels of U Ⅱ and PAF and cardiac function in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension, and multivariable Logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine factors affecting the diastolic dysfunction.Results The body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in the severe preeclampsia group were higher than those in the control group, gestational hypertension group, and mild preeclampsia group (P < 0.05). The cardiac morphological and structural parameters [left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVDd), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), peak systolic velocity (Vs), peak early diastolic velocity (VE), peak late diastolic velocity (VA), early diastolic mitral annular velocity (Ea), and late diastolic mitral annular velocity (Aa)] were different among the four groups (P < 0.05). With the disease severity aggravates, LVDd and Aa were increased (P < 0.05) while LVEF, Vs, VE, VA and Ea were decreased (P < 0.05). The serum levels of U Ⅱ and PAF were also different among the four groups (P < 0.05). With the disease severity aggravates, the serum levels of U Ⅱ and PAF were increased (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum levels of U Ⅱ and PAF were positively correlated with LVDd and Aa (P < 0.05), and negatively correlated with LVEF, Vs, VE, VA and Ea, respectively (P < 0.05). Multivariable Logistic regression analysis revealed that BMI [O^R = 1.879 (95% CI: 1.103, 3.203) ], systolic blood pressure [O^R = 2.071 (95% CI: 1.378, 3.113) ], diastolic blood pressure [O^R = 1.795 (95% CI: 1.171, 2.752) ], and serum levels of U Ⅱ [O^R = 1.721 (95% CI: 1.329, 2.229) ] and PAF [O^R = 1.621 (95% CI: 1.266, 2.075) ] were factors affecting the occurrence of cardiac diastolic dysfunction (P < 0.05).Conclusions Serum U Ⅱ and PAF are closely related to the severity of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Their expression levels may reflect the cardiac function and are independent risk factors for left ventricular dysfunction in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension.