title: PP162. sFlt-1 controlled by CPAP in a pregnant patient with chronic hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preeclampsia is recognised as the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Interest has been increasing recently as to the possible impact of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) on the mechanisms of preeclampsia, possibly by augmenting placental hypoxia during sleep. A biomarker of preeclampsia, sFlt-1, has also come to prominence in recent years and is postulated to be a good predictor of preeclampsia as well as a strong indicator of the severity of the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CPAP treatment for SDB on sFlt-1 concentrations during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were recruited from the outpatients' clinic in Campbelltown Hospital, Campbelltown, NSW in the first half of 2011. The levels of sFlt-1 in four pregnant women, with or without hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and with or without SDB were measured using ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with SDB and chronic hypertension or preeclampsia had higher levels of sFlt-1 and a greater percentage increase of this marker, and CPAP treatment appeared to attenuate the rise of sFlt-1 as shown in the table below.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated sFlt-1 was associated with untreated SDB in those with chronic hypertension. This study provides feasibility for a larger scale study to occur, to further examine the validity of the hypothesis that CPAP treatment has a beneficial effect on sFLt-1 levels and therefore, may lower the risk and severity of preeclampsia.
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Sleep Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bobek
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hennessy