Maternal &umbilical cord plasma homocysteine concentrations in pre-eclamptic pregnancy

Back ground: Serum concentrations of homocysteine decrease during normotensive pregnancy, but increases in pre-eclampsia like some other pregnancy complications. Hyperhomocysteinemia has been hypothesized to be associated with placental micro vascularization disease. Objectives: To evaluate the concentration of maternal &umbilical homocysteine in pre-eclamptic women in comparison with that of normotensive pregnant women. Study design: A case control study. Setting: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital for a period of one year from April 2010 to April 2011. Patients & methods: Hundred singleton pregnant women with gestational age between 37 to 40 weeks were divided into two groups: (Study group): 50 pregnant patients with pre-eclampsia , 30 of them presented with severe preeclampsia and 20 presented with mild pre-eclampsia were compared to ( control group ) which include 50 normotensive pregnant patients. Bloods was collected from women in both groups, serum homocysteine and cord blood homocysteine were measured in patient with pre-eclampsia and were compared with that of normotensive patient. Results:Mean maternal serum homocysteine level in comparison between the study & the control groups was highly significant as the P value was (0.0001).Mean umbilical homocysteine level in comparison between the study & the control groups was highly significant as P value was (0.0001).Maternal homocysteine levels were found to have a significant strong direct correlation with the umbilical homocysteine in the severe pre-eclampsia since the r value was (0.808) while in the mild and the control groups, they were moderately correlated as the r value was (0.536,0.526) respectively. Conclusion :This study has shown a significant increase in homocystein concentration in maternal and umbilical cord blood of the fetuses in preeclamptic women compared with the values obtained from women of normal pregnancy. Date Submitted:6-8-2013 Date Accepted:2-3-2014 Address for Correspondence: Dr. Miami A. Ali, FICOG Department of Obstetrics &Gynecology, College of medicine.ALMustansiriya University PO Box 14132,Baghdad,Iraq. Email [email protected]