SERUM VITAMIN-A, VITAMIN-E, AND BETA-CAROTENE LEVELS IN PREECLAMPTIC WOMEN IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

We compared the serum levels of beta-carotene, vitamin A (retinol), an d vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) in healthy pregnant women and their cou nterparts who exhibited the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia or ecla mpsia, including: systolic blood pressure greater than 160 mm Hg, edem a, and proteinuria. The study was conducted in the cities of Maiduguri and Bauchi, which are located in the semi-arid northeastern region of Nigeria. Most of the pregnant subjects: (1) were teenagers, though th ey ranged in age from 14 to 25 years; (2) had 2 or fewer prior pregnan cies; and (3) were predominantly of the Muslim faith and members of th e Hausa, Fulani, or Kanuri ethnic groups. Few of the women had receive d prenatal care. Serum levels of vitamins A and E and betacarotene wer e quantified using high pressure liquid chromatography. The serum vita min A levels of the 9 preeclamptic women (15.3 mg/dL) and the 7 eclamp tic women (8.3 mg/dL) were significantly reduced (p <0.01) relative to the serum vitamin A levels of healthy women in the third trimester (2 4.2 mg/dL). For the healthy pregnant controls, the levels of vitamins A and E and beta-carotene were relatively constant throughout pregnanc y. The mean serum beta-carotene levels for both the preeclamptic and e clamptic groups of subjects were half as high as those of healthy cont rol women in the third trimester (p=0.004). The serum vitamin E levels of the preeclamptic and eclamptic women were 15% and 30% lower, respe ctively, than those of the corresponding controls (p <0.01). The serum levels of these three lipids in the healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women we studied are similar to values reported by others for North A merican and European women of childbearing age. These results support the hypothesis that preeclampsia-eclampsia deplete natural lipid antio xidants and suggest that the reduced levels of vitamin A in such women experiencing hypertension of pregnancy, if they happen to be infected with the HIV-1 virus, may place them at increased risk for mother-chi ld transmission of the virus.