Circulating and exhaled vascular endothelial growth factor in asthmatic pregnancy

Abstract

Context: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a role in asthma and pathological pregnancies.

Objective: This is the first study assessing plasma and exhaled breath condensate VEGF levels in asthmatic pregnancy.

Material and methods: Thirty-one asthmatic pregnant, 29 asthmatic nonpregnant, 28 healthy pregnant and 22 healthy nonpregnant women were enrolled. Plasma was collected in all subjects, EBC in 57 volunteers for VEGF measurements.

Results: Plasma VEGF decreased in both pregnant groups (p < 0.01), without any differences between the asthmatic and the respective nonasthmatic groups (p > 0.05). VEGF was undetectable in EBC.

Conclusion: Concomitant asthma does not affect plasma VEGF during pregnancy.

Keywords::

• Asthma
• breath test
• pregnancy
• vascular endothelial growth factor

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dorottya Kovacs and Judit Pako medical students for helping with sample collections and the doctors and nurses of the First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for patient recruitment.

Declaration of interest

The study was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA 68808) and Hungarian Respiratory Society grants (to Andras Bikov and Aniko Bohacs). Andras Bikov received sanofi-aventis scholarship.