Circulating immune complexes and hypertension in pregnancy.
Eighteen patients with pre-eclampsia, 10 patients with essential and 9 with transient hypertension during pregnancy, were investigated regarding circulating immune complexes by a Clq-binding assay and a PEG precipitation assay. The women were studied during pregnancy, 2 and 5 days after childbirth, and also 3 and 6 months afterwards. The frequency of circulating immune complexes was not significantly increased in any of the groups when compared with that in 18 normotensive pregnant control subjects and 19 non-pregnant controls. Thus Clq-binding and PEG-precipitable immune complexes are a feature neither of normal pregnancy, nor of pregnancy complicated by hypertension or pre-eclampsia.
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D003172:Complement C1 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000276:immunology*; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000032:analysis; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000276:immunology*
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D003172:Complement C1; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains