ELEVATED SERUM HUMAN CHORIONIC-GONADOTROPIN AS EVIDENCE OF SECRETORY RESPONSE IN SEVERE PREECLAMPSIA

OBJECTIVE: Because preeclampsia is a trophoblastic disorder and human chorionic gonadotropin is secreted from trophoblast, we sought to dete rmine whether measurement of serum human chorionic gonadotropin might reflect a different trophoblastic secretory response of preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty patients with mild preeclampsia and 12 with sever e preeclampsia were matched with 32 healthy, normotensive women in the third trimester with singleton pregnancies. Serum total human chorion ic gonadotropin and total human chorionic gonadotropin-beta were measu red by a two-site immunoenzymometric assay, and total hCG-alpha was de termined by a double-antibody radioimmunoassay. Wilcoxon signed-rank a nd Mann-Whitney rank-sum tests were used for statistical analysis. RES ULTS: Serum total human chorionic gonadotropin, total human chorionic gonadotropin-alpha, and total human chorionic gonadotropin-beta levels were significantly higher in severely preeclamptic women (p < 0.05), but not in those with mild preeclampsia, compared with those in their matched controls. CONCLUSION: Elevated serum human chorionic gonadotro pin levels in severely preeclamptic women might reflect a significantl y pathologic change and secretory reaction of the placenta.