Plasma lipid concentrations in pre-eclamptic and normotensive Peruvian women

Objectives: Dyslipidemia is thought to be of etiological importance in pre- eclampsia. We studied the relationship between maternal plasma lipid concen trations and risk of pre-eclampsia. Methods: A total of 125 pre-eclampsia c ases and 179 normotensive control subjects were included in this case-contr ol study conducted in Lima, Peru, between August 1997 and January 1998. Pos tdiagnosis, antepartum plasma lipid profiles were determined by standard en zymatic methods. Logistic regression procedures were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Mean plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were, on average, 6% and 21% h igher in pre-eclamptics than controls, respectively. High-density lipoprote in (HDL) cholesterol concentrations were, on average, 9% lower in cases tha n controls. After adjusting for maternal age, prepregnancy body mass index, education, parity and other potential confounders, the risk of pre-eclamps ia increased with successively higher quartiles of plasma triglyceride (adj usted OR: 1.00, 1.62, 2.21, 5.00, with the lowest quartile as referent; P-v ale for trend <0.001). The association between pre-eclampsia risk and plasm a total cholesterol was much less pronounced. In general, there was an inve rse association between pre-eclampsia risk and HDL cholesterol concentratio n (adjusted OR: 1.00, 0.41, 0.50, 0.38, with the first quartile as the refe rent group; P-value for trend =0.02). Conclusions: These findings suggest t hat high triglyceride and law HDL cholesterol concentrations are important risk factors for pre-eclampsia among Peruvian women. (C) 1999 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.