title: Enhanced platelet release reaction related to arterial plasma adrenaline and blood pressure in pre-eclampsia.
abstract: The platelet release product beta-thromboglobulin (BTG) in venous plasma, and arterial and venous catecholamines were measured in 13 severe pre-eclamptic and 13 normotensive pregnant women. In the pre-eclamptic group, BTG was significantly higher and the platelet count significantly lower than in the normotensive pregnant group. In the pre-eclamptic group, arterial concentrations were significantly higher for adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine, whereas in venous plasma only adrenaline and dopamine were higher. Significant positive correlations appeared in the pre-eclamptic patients between venous BTG and arterial adrenaline (r = 0.82), arterial noradrenaline (r = 0.76) and venous adrenaline (r = 0.55). In the pre-eclamptic group, BTG also highly correlated with systolic (r = 0.84) and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.77) and heart rate (r = 0.67). These findings indicate that sympathetic nervous tone, as measured by arterial and venous plasma catecholamines, is a good predictor of in-vivo blood platelet activation. In pre-eclampsia, increased sympathetic tone may play a key role in platelet activation and consumption and thus in the activation of the coagulation system.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004298:Dopamine / Q000097:blood; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D001620:beta-Thromboglobulin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D001620:beta-Thromboglobulin; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine