Abstract
Objective: To determine the effects severe preeclampsia, labor, and parturition have on endothelin (ET-1) concentrations. Methods: Plasma immunoreactive ET-1 concentrations were studied prospectively in 36 gravidas, 13 with severe preeclampsia and 23 normotensive (9 laboring, 14 nonlaboring) controls matched for gestational age. Blood samples were collected from all severe preeclamptic and laboring normotensive control patients following hospital admission, prior to the administration of magnesium sulfate or oxytocin, and 24 h postpartum. A single sample was collected from nonlaboring outpatient control gravidas. ET-1 concentrations were determined by a sensitive radioimmunoassay (Peninsula) and compared between groups by Student's t test, one-way analysis of variance, and linear regression analysis. Results: Plasma ET-1 concentration in severely preeclamptic women was 7.19 ± 0.97 pg/ml compared with 5.63 ± 1.3 pg/ml in the control group (P < 0.05) . ET-1 levels did not decrease significantly 24 h postpartum in either the group with severe preeclampsia (7.19 ± 0.79 vs 7.02 ± 1.34 pg/ml; P > 0.05) or in the laboring normotensive controls (6.12 ± 0.67 vs 6.00 ± 1.04 pg/ml; P > 0.05). ET-1 concentrations were not significantly elevated in laboring vs nonlaboring normotensives (6.12 ± 0.67 vs 5.03 ± 1.25 pg/ml; P > 0.05). Conclusions: ET-1 concentrations were significantly increased in patients with severe preeclampsia compared with normotensive gravidas, and plasma concentrations remained unchanged 24 h postdelivery.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 129-132 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Maternal-Fetal Investigation |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - 1994 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynecology