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Abstract
Objective: To compare serum concentrations of lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)J and other atherogenic lipids and lipoproteins in pregnancies complicated by either pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) or intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) with those of normal pregnancies.
Methods: This was a prospective case-controlled study comprising 35 subjects with PIH and 20 with IUGR, and a control group of 35 subjects matched for gestation. The study was conducted in a tertiary institution, with recruitment taking place over a period of 12 months.
Main Outcome Measures: Measurement of lipids and lipoproteins were made at the time the diagnosis was established. The placentas were examined after delivery for signs of decidual arteriopathy.
Results: There were no significant differences in the serum Lp(a) concentration between those with PIH or IUGR and the control group. Decidual arteriopathy was not found in any cases in the control group, but it was present in 11/34 (32.3%) PIH and in 1/19 (5.3%) IUGR cases. In preterm pregnancies, serum triglyceride (TG) concentrations were significantly higher in PIH patients than in controls (3.7 vs. 2.0 mmol/L, P < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study did not demonstrate a correlation between elevated serum Lp(a) concentrations and the risk of either PIH or IUGR. The presence of higher TG concentrations in those women who developed early-onset PIH suggests that hypertriglyceridemia may be a potential marker for the more severe cases of PIH which tend to occur at an earlier gestational age.
