Serum amyloid a levels are increased in pre-eclampsia

Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine serum amyloid A (SAA) levels in normal pregnant and pre-eclamptic women. Methods: SAA levels were measured in 25 normotensive and 25 pre-eclamptic pregnant women by enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay. Results: In pre-eclampsia, SAA level and C-reactive protein (CRP) averaged 28.2 (7.2-135) ng/l and 21 (6.13- 91) mg/l, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of normal pregnancy (7.8 [4.65-24.6] ng/l and 6.05 [0.3-19] mg/l, respectively) (p < 0.05). In addition, SAA level was positively correlated to CRP (r = 0.468, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Marked increases of both SAA level and CRP in pre-eclampsia, and their inter-relation, may at least in part contribute to the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.