title: Inhibin-A levels and severity of hypertensive disorders due to pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the use of 3rd trimester inhibin-A levels as an adjunct to assess severity of hypertensive disorders due to pregnancy in women evaluated for preeclampsia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum inhibin-A concentration was measured in a consecutive series of women evaluated for preeclampsia in the third trimester of pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inhibin-A levels were significantly associated with the severity of proteinuric hypertensive disease due to pregnancy. Women with gestational hypertension or those with chronic hypertension without superimposed preeclampsia had levels comparable with normotensive women. The sensitivity to detect proteinuric hypertension was 16%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although inhibin-A levels rise with increasing severity of disease, due to considerable overlap of normal and abnormal serum levels in women with and without preeclampsia, inhibin-A is not a useful adjunct for the classification of hypertensive disorders due to pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75390-9032, USA. gerda.zeeman@utsouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Gerda G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Zeeman
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Donald D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: McIntire
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Byrd
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Leveno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D007265:Inhibins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C422362:inhibin A; D007265:Inhibins