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Abstract
Objectives: To compare Alcian-Blue (AB) binding of erythrocytes in African women with preeclampsia and normotensive controls matched for age, race, and gestational age, and to correlate it with serum creatinine, serum albumin, and 24-h urinary protein excretion.
Design: Prospective descriptive study.
Setting: Obstetric wards, King Edward VIII Hospital (KEH), Durban, South Africa. Tertiary referral center serving an underprivileged community.
Subjects: Eleven patients with early onset preeclampsia–i.e., between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation–and 11 pregnancy-matched controls.
Main Outcome Measures: Alteration in AB binding in preeclampsia compared to matched controls
Results: AB binding was significantly decreased in the preeclamptic group [31.05 ng/106 cells compared to controls 65.12 ng/106 cells (P < 0.0003)]. There was strong correlation (r > 0.7) between AB binding and serum creatinine but not with serum albumin and level of proteinuria.
Conclusion: As altered erythrocyte charge may infer alterations in glomerular basement membrane (GBM) charge, the pathogenesis of proteinuria in preeclampsia is probably on the basis of a disorder of glomerular permeability.