Serum lipids level assessed in early pregnancy and risk of pre-eclampsia

Aim: The purpose of this study investigated the relationship between early pregnancy plasma lipid concentrations and risk of pre-eclampsia. Material and Methods: In a prospective cohort study, maternal blood samples were collected between 10-20 weeks of gestation. From the cohort, we selected 30 women who developed pre-eclampsia and 320 who remained normotensive and served as control subjects. Linear logistic regression test was used for confounding factors identification. Results: Women who subsequently developed pre-eclampsia had higher concentrations of fasting plasma, total cholesterol and triglycerides than in those remaining normotensive group. After using linear logistic regression analyses for the potential confounding factors, triglyceride concentrations were significantly higher in pre-eclamptic cases as compared with control. Conclusion: Early pregnancy dyslipidemia, particularly hypertriglyceridemia appears associated with increased risk of pre-eclampsia.