OBJECTIVE: We investigated maternal versus fetal genetic causes of preeclam
psia and eclampsia by assessing concordance between monozygotic and dizygot
ic female co-twins, between female partners of male monozygotic and dizygot
ic twin pairs, and between female twins and partners of their male co-twins
in dizygotic opposite-sex pairs.
STUDY DESIGN: Two large birth cohorts of volunteer Australian female twin p
airs (N = 1504 pairs and N = 858 pairs) were screened and interviewed, and
available medical and hospital records were obtained and reviewed where ind
icated, with diagnoses assigned according to predetermined criteria.
RESULTS: With strict diagnostic criteria used for preeclampsia and eclampsi
a, no concordant female twin pairs were found. Collapsing diagnoses of defi
nite, probable, or possible preeclampsia or eclampsia resulted in very low
genetic recurrence risk estimates.
CONCLUSION: Results from these two cohorts of female twin pairs do not supp
ort clear, solely maternal genetic influences on preeclampsia and eclampsia
. Numbers of parous female partners of male twins were too low for conclusi
ons to be drawn regarding paternal transmission.