The Levels of the Orexin, Galanin and aMSH and CART in Patients With Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a disease of unknown etiology that is frequently encountered in pregnant women and seriously impairs their quality of life. In the United States, hyperemesis gravidarum is the most common cause of hospitalizations in the first half of pregnancy and is second only to preterm labor for hospitalizations during pregnancy overall. The prevalence of hyperemesis gravidarum is approximately 0.3-3% of pregnancies and varies due to different diagnostic criteria and ethnic differences in study populations. According to the latest guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, there is still no single accepted definition for hyperemesis gravidarum. The most commonly cited criteria for the diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum include persistent, unrelated to other causes, ketonuria, electrolyte abnormalities and acid-base disturbances, as well as weight loss. Weight loss is usually stated as at least 5% loss. In normal individuals, the appetite regulation center is the hypothalamus. Neuropeptides released from hypothalamic neurons play an important role in the regulation of nutrition by acting both in the hypothalamus and other appetite-regulating centers in the brain. Among the neuropeptides that are secreted by the central nervous system and peripheral organs and also play an important role in the regulation of energy and appetite, there are neuropeptides known as orexigenic neuropeptides, which reduce energy expenditure and increase appetite, as well as anorexigenic neuropeptides, which, on the contrary, reduce appetite and increase energy expenditure. It is known that disorders in these pathways cause pathologies in appetite and food intake in normal individuals. In our study, we plan to examine the levels of some neuropeptides in patients with hyperemesis gravidarum in order to investigate whether these pathways are affected or not. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether orexigenic neuropeptides (Orexin, Galanin) and anorexigenic neuropeptides (aMSH, CART) levels are associated with hyperemesis gravidarum.