Ante-partum and post-partum markers of metabolic syndrome in pre-eclampsia

It is rare for a study to address immediate metabolic change in pre-eclamptic pregnancy. Our aim is to study the ante-partum and post-partum metabolic markers in pre-eclampsia. A total of 33 pre-eclamptic and 200 uncomplicated women with singleton pregnancies were recruited for the prospective research. Immediately ante-partum and 24-48 h postpartum venous blood samples were collected for the analysis of metabolic markers. In the pre-eclamptic group, the ante-partum fasting glucose, fasting insulin, triglyceride and free fatty acid levels were found to be higher than in the control group; however, ante-partum high-density lipoprotein level was lower. Interestingly, fasting glucose and insulin levels decreased by 24-48 h post-partum in both groups and no significant differences were found. Pre-eclamptic patients had lower post-partum high-density lipoprotein (P = 0.02), higher triglyceride (P < 0.001), higher free fatty acid (P = 0.02) and higher apolipoprotein B levels (P = 0.01) than the control group. Dyslipidemia lasts from ante-partum to immediate postpartum in pre-eclamptic women in the form of increased triglyceride, higher free fatty acid and decreased high-density lipoprotein levels. We speculate that women with dyslipidemia and higher baseline blood pressure tend to develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. Hence, the development of pre-eclampsia may be a 'marker' of possible future cardiovascular or metabolic disease. Journal of Human Hypertension (2011) 25, 11-17; doi:10.1038/jhh.2010.29; published online 11 March 2010