Maternal serum human placental growth hormone (hPGH) at 11 to 13 weeks of gestation in preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
Human placental growth hormone (hPGH) is produced by human placenta and plays a central role in the maternal metabolic adjustments to pregnancy. The objective of this study was to investigate the maternal serum concentration of hPGH at 11-13 weeks of gestation in pregnancies that subsequently developed preeclampsia (PE), and to examine the possible association with uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) and maternal serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A).


METHODS
The maternal serum concentration of hPGH at 11-13 weeks was measured in a case-control study from 60 cases that developed PE and 120 unaffected controls. The measured hPGH concentration was converted into a multiple of the expected median (MoM) in unaffected pregnancies. Regression analysis was used to determine the significance of association between hPGH MoM with uterine artery PI MoM and PAPP-A MoM.


RESULTS
In the pregnancies that subsequently developed PE the median serum hPGH concentration was not significantly different from that in the unaffected group (0.92 versus 1.00 MoM), whereas uterine artery PI was increased (1.31 versus 1.01 MoM) and serum PAPP-A was decreased (0.76 versus 1.01 MoM). In the group that developed PE there was no significant association between serum hPGH MoM and gestational age at delivery, uterine artery PI MoM, or serum PAPP-A MoM.


CONCLUSIONS
The finding that in the PE group serum hPGH level during the first trimester is normal suggests that it is unlikely that this hormone plays a role in the pathogenesis of PE.
Sifakis
Stavros
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Akolekar
Ranjit
R
Mantas
Nikitas
N
Kappou
Dimitra
D
Nicolaides
Kypros H
KH
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A / Q000032:analysis*
C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A