Soluble endoglin as a second-trimester marker for preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this investigation was to characterize soluble endoglin (sEng) concentrations in second-trimester serum of women who either develop preeclampsia or have a normal pregnancy.


METHODS
Single second-trimester serum samples obtained from healthy, nonsmoking women who subsequently developed severe preeclampsia (n = 48) or from healthy nonsmoking women who experienced a normal pregnancy (n = 56) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were reported as mean +/- standard deviation.


RESULTS
Maternal age or gestational age at time of sample was not different between the 2 groups. Patients who later developed preeclampsia delivered earlier, had smaller infants, and had a higher mean arterial pressure than controls. Patients who later developed severe preeclampsia had elevated sEng, compared with those with normal pregnancy (6.19 +/- 2.1 vs 5.00 +/- 1.0 ng/mL, P = .02).


CONCLUSIONS
Soluble endoglin is elevated in second-trimester maternal serum in patients destined to develop severe preeclampsia.
Robinson
Christopher J
CJ
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Johnson
Donna D
DD
D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000071063:Endoglin; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000097:blood*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology
D015703:Antigens, CD; D015415:Biomarkers; C064206:ENG protein, human; D000071063:Endoglin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta