Narrative review suggests homocysteine combined with multi-index screening aids early warning for pregnancy complications

This narrative review examines the utility of homocysteine combined with multi-index screening for detecting pregnancy complications in pregnant women. The scope includes preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, gestational diabetes mellitus, and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. The authors do not report a specific sample size or study setting. Instead, they synthesize qualitative conclusions regarding the diagnostic value of these biomarkers.

The review finds that elevated homocysteine levels significantly correlate with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The authors state that homocysteine together with platelet parameters helps differentiate the risk of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy from gestational diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, adding uterine artery Doppler ultrasonography improves the diagnostic sensitivity for detecting preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. Integrating glycolipid metabolic markers provides additional predictive value for adverse outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus.

The authors acknowledge that the predictive power of homocysteine alone is limited due to variations in gestational age, ethnicity, nutritional status, and genetic background. No absolute numbers, event rates, or confidence intervals are reported in this narrative synthesis. The review positions homocysteine as a functional endpoint of gene-nutrient interactions. Combining it with nutritional and genetic assessments may facilitate early warning of pregnancy complications and enable individualized intervention.