Abstract
In order to evaluate renal tubular function, β2-microglobulin was measured in serum and urine from 15 patients with severe pre-eclampsia and 13 normal pregnant women. in the pre-eclamptic group, the serum β2-microglo-bulin level was significantly higher (p <0.05) and urinary excretion/2411 significantly lower (p<0.05), than in the normal pregnant group. A positive linear correlation between serum uric acid and β2-microglobulin was observed both in the pre-eclamptic group (r = 0.79, p<0.001) and in the normal pregnant group <r = 0.58, p<0.05). This may indicate that production and renal handling of these two substances are interdependent. Tubular function is reduced in normal pregnancy, whereas increased “net tubular reabsorption” of uric acid and β2-microglobulin occurs in pre-eclampsia. the cause of the observed changes in tubular function is still obscure.