Resumen

GONZALEZ, Naybeth et al. Evaluación de estrés percibido y niveles de alfa-amilasa salival en mujeres embarazadas (del Municipio Libertador del Estado Mérida). Rev Obstet Ginecol Venez [online]. 2015, vol.75, n.4, pp.242-249. ISSN 0048-7732.

Objective: To assess the levels of salivary alpha amylase enzyme (SAA) that is a biomarker of stress and the correlation of those levels with the perception of stress in pregnant women. Methods: Thirty eight pregnant women who attended prenatal care clinics in the Libertador Municipality of Merida, Venezuela, were distributed in 3 groups according with the gestational age: 8 on the first trimester, 10 on the second and 10 on the third. The control group consisted of 10 non-pregnant women with similar demographic characteristics. The perceived stress was measured with the EEP-13 instrument and the level of SAA was determined by means of an spectrophotometric enzymatic assay. Three levels of perceived stress were established according to the score obtained by the EEP-13 test. Results: Twenty three percent (23.7 %) of the pregnant women had low levels of perceived stress, 50 % had an intermediate level and 26.3 % showed a high level. No significant relationship between the level of perceived stress and the age of pregnancy was found (P=0.637). The SAA concentration was significantly higher in the group of pregnant women in the first trimester compared to the non-pregnant control group (P <0.001). No correlation between the EEP-13 test values of perceived stress and the enzyme concentration was found (R2=0.014; P=0.81). Conclusion: In this group of pregnant women, 76.3 % suffer from a significant amount of stress and only the pregnant women in the first trimester showed increased levels of SAA.

Palabras clave : Stress perception; Pregnancy; Alpha amylase enzyme.

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