Umbilical cord plasma leptin is increased in preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to compare umbilical cord plasma leptin between infants of mothers who experienced preeclampsia and infants of control subjects and to study the relation between cord plasma leptin and infant obesity, as indicated by ponderal index.


METHODS
On the basis of a population of approximately 13,000 deliveries, we compared cord plasma leptin from preeclamptic (n = 256 women) and control pregnancies (n = 607 women) after taking the differences in gestational age and ponderal index into account.


RESULTS
Cord plasma leptin increased strongly with gestational age, both in the preeclampsia group and the control subjects (P <.01), but at each gestational age the preeclampsia group had higher leptin levels than control subjects (P <.01). Adjustment for the higher ponderal index among control subjects (P <.05) did not alter the difference in leptin levels between the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
We found higher levels of umbilical cord plasma leptin in infants of mothers who had preeclampsia (compared with infants of control subjects) after adjusting for differences in gestational age, gender, and infant ponderal index.
Odegård
Rønnaug A
RA
Institute of Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Trondheim, Norway.
Vatten
Lars J
LJ
Nilsen
Stein Tore
ST
Salvesen
Kjell A
KA
Austgulen
Rigmor
R
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values
D020738:Leptin