title: Leptin and pre-eclampsia in black African parturients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure serum concentrations of the hormone leptin during late pregnancy in Black African women with pre-eclampsia, healthy normotensive pregnant women as controls and healthy normotensive non-pregnant women; secondly, to explore the relationship between leptin and obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational, cross sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Antenatal clinics, antenatal wards, gynaecology out patient and family planning clinics of a tertiary hospital, Durban, South Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant and non-pregnant Black African women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum leptin was measured by a homologous radio-immunoassay technique. Simple anthropometric parameters were used to explore the relationship between leptin and obesity. In each group, leptin levels were compared between obese (body mass index, BMI > or = 30 kg m(-2)) and lean women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum leptin concentrations, anthropometric parameters, mean blood pressures and proteinuria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 68 women with pre-eclampsia, 92 healthy normotensive pregnant women (controls) and 32 healthy normotensive non-pregnant women. Serum leptin levels were higher in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women [26.66 (1.96) and 25.89 (1.65) vs 17.97 (2.11) ng/mL, P = 0.02]. Weight and BMI showed the greatest correlation with leptin both in pregnant (r = 0.61 and r = 0.58, respectively) and non-pregnant women (r = 0.74 and 0.79, respectively). There was no significant difference in the mean concentrations of leptin between women with and those without pre-eclampsia [26.66 (1.96) vs 25.89 (1.65) ng/mL, respectively, P = 0.95].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnancy is a hyperleptinaemic state. There is no difference in serum leptin levels between Black African women with pre-eclampsia and healthy normotensive pregnant women. Serum leptin concentration is largely determined by the degree of adiposity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Kafulafula
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moodley
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ojwang
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kagoro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010298:Parity; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D013019:South Africa / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin