Antepartum and postpartum thrombomodulin levels in preeclamptic and normotensive pregnancies.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether changes in plasma levels of thrombomodulin from antepartum to postpartum reflect the postpartum regression of preeclampsia.


METHODS
Twenty-four preeclamptic women and 34 healthy, normotensive women with singleton pregnancies were studied in the third trimester. Plasma levels of thrombomodulin in the antepartum and postpartum periods were measured by a two-site immunoenzymatic assay. Two-tailed Student t test and paired-comparison t test were used for statistical analyses. The results were expressed as mean +/- standard error.


RESULTS
Antepartum plasma thrombomodulin levels in preeclampsia were significantly higher than postpartum levels (71.3 +/- 8.5 versus 55.5 +/- 5.4 ng/mL; P = .006), which was not seen in the normotensive controls (49.9 +/- 3.1 versus 44.2 +/- 3.8 ng/mL; P > .05). Antepartum plasma levels of thrombomodulin in preeclamptic women were significantly higher than those in the normotensive controls (P = .01). However, postpartum plasma levels of thrombomodulin in preeclamptic women were not significantly higher than those in the normotensive controls (P > .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Significantly decreased postpartum plasma thrombomodulin levels in preeclamptic pregnancies strongly correspond to clinical postpartum regression of preeclampsia.
Hsu
C D
CD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8063, USA.
Copel
J A
JA
Chan
D W
DW
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000097:blood*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D018180:Thrombomodulin / Q000378:metabolism*
D018180:Thrombomodulin