Correlation of elevated levels of lipoprotein(a), high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein with severity of preeclampsia: a prospective longitudinal study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine a possible association between the levels of total serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and lipoprotein(a), and the development of severe preeclampsia. We measured the levels of these lipoproteins in a prospective observational longitudinal cohort study that recruited 50 third-trimester pregnant women with mild preeclampsia at the time of recruitment. Two assessments were performed; the first measurement was at 29–31 weeks of pregnancy (at recruitment), and the second took place 4 weeks later. Patients with BMI 30, those < 20 years of age and those > 35 years of age were not included in the study. Eight mildly preeclamptic women developed severe preeclampsia within 4 weeks. In these patients, lipoprotein(a) level showed a twofold increase. A serum lipoprotein(a) level > 40.5 mg/dL in a mildly preeclamptic patient predicted the development of severe preeclampsia later on in the pregnancy, whereas a serum lipoprotein(a) level > 52.5 mg/dL was a marker of severity with high sensitivity and specificity. We suggest through our results that that lipoprotein(a) level correlates with the severity of the disease.

IMPACT STATEMENT

• What is already known on this subject? Changes in blood lipids have been reported in preeclampsia. Abnormal lipoprotein levels are thought to play a role in the pathophysiology of the disease.

• What the results of this study add? In this study, we showed that a serum lipoprotein(a) level >40.5 mg/dL in a mildly preeclamptic patient predicted the development of severe preeclampsia later on in the pregnancy, whereas a serum lipoprotein(a) level >52.5 mg/dL was a marker of severity with high sensitivity and specificity.

• What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Our results suggest that blood lipids, and especially lipoprotein(a), are involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. The lipoprotein(a) level correlates with the severity of the disease. Hence, lipoprotein(a) could be used as a predictor of severe preeclampsia and a marker of the severity of preeclampsia. This should be validated through prospective studies recruiting an adequate sample size.

Keywords:

• Mild preeclampsia
• severe preeclampsia
• lipoprotein(a)
• high-density lipoprotein
• low-density lipoprotein

Acknowledgements

Ethics approval and consent to participate: All enrolled patients gave informed consent to our study protocol. The study was performed in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the institutional review board (ethics committee of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Alexandria) under the number, 132/2012.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.