title: Hyperleptinemia as a prognostic factor for preeclampsia: a cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leptin is an adipokine which has a direct relationship to obesity. Our aim was to measure this hormone in pregnant women at three months intervals throughout their pregnancies to determine the serum value of those who developed preeclampsia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We followed 19 women (median age 24.8 +/- 5.7 years) with pre-gestational Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 25 kg/m2, 21 (median age 26.1 +/- 4.6 years) with BMI higher than 25 kg/m2 and 16 (median age 30.9 +/- 5.8 years) with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) (median age 30.9 +/- 5.8 years), recruited in the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Serum levels of leptin were measured with radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the first trimester of pregnancy leptin levels showed statistically significant differences between normal weight and overweight-obese women (p < 0.001), diabetic women (p < 0.05) and the subgroup of preeclamptic women (p < 0.001). For those women with PGBMI > or = 40 kg/m2 and leptin > or = 40 ng/ml in the second trimester, the Odds Ratio (OR) to develop preeclampsia was of 47.95% CI (4.1-527.2). Analyzing leptin values with ROC curves, the greatest area under the curve (AUC) was for leptin in the second trimester (0.773, CI: 0.634-0.911).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women with morbid obesity (BMI > or = 40 kg/m2) had significantly higher levels of serum leptin (p < 0.01) and a value of 40 ng/ml of this hormone seems to be predictive of developing preeclampsia in this group of patients.
authors: Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Research Center (CICMED), Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMex), Toluca, México. mezh_74@yahoo.com
authors: Hugo
authors: H
authors: Mendieta Zerón
authors: Verónica Jackeline
authors: VJ
authors: García Solorio
authors: Pamela Montserrat
authors: PM
authors: Nava Díaz
authors: Adriana
authors: A
authors: Garduño Alanís
authors: Jonnathan Guadalupe
authors: JG
authors: Santillán Benítez
authors: Victoria
authors: V
authors: Domínguez García
authors: Carolina
authors: C
authors: Escobar Briones
authors: Edgar
authors: E
authors: Denova Gutiérrez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin