Interleukin-6 and its correlations with maternal characteristics and echocardiographic parameters in pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension and normotensive pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension are pregnancy-related disorders with major maternal cardiovascular implications later in life. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine interleukin-6 levels in women with pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension and in healthy pregnant controls, and to examine their correlations with characteristics of the women and echocardiographic findings. METHODS: The ELISA method was used to determine serum interleukin-6 in 36 women with gestational hypertension, 37 women with pre-eclampsia and 50 pregnant controls. The echocardiographic examination was performed according to current recommendations by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging and the American Society of Echocardiography. RESULTS: Mean serum interleukin-6 levels were 2.77 pg/ml in the controls, 5.08 pg/ml in the gestational hypertension group and 8.06 pg/ml in the pre-eclampsia group. A significant difference in these levels was present between the controls and both hypertensive groups, but not between the two hypertensive groups. Higher levels correlated with heart chamber enlargement and worse ventricular function. CONCLUSION: Interleukin-6 levels in gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia were significantly elevated compared to those in healthy pregnancy. Higher levels also corresponded to echocardiographical changes.

High-sensitivity CRP levels in women with gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and in normotensive pregnant women and its correlations.

INTRODUCTION: Gestational hypertension is a less investigated hypertensive disorder of pregnancy than preeclampsia, but evidence exists of an unfavourable cardiovascular profile for women after such a pregnancy. AIM: To determine serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in women with preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and in normotensive pregnancy in order to assess the cardiovascular implications and to examine its correlations with some characteristics of women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six women with gestational hypertension, thirty-seven with preeclampsia, and fifty maternal and gestational age-matched controls were included in a single-center prospective clinical-epidemiological study. Serum hs-CRP levels were determined using ELISA method. RESULTS: Significantly higher hs-CRP levels were found in the gestational hypertension group than in the controls (p=0.043), but not in the preeclampsia group (p=0.445). The levels between the two pathological groups did not differ significantly (p=0.247). Odds ratio for hs-CRP levels higher than the provided cut-off was 3.31 (95% CI 1.32-8.29) for the presence of gestational hypertension. In the normotensive pregnant women, the hs-CRP levels had a positive correlation with BSA, pre-pregnancy and current BMI, but such correlations were absent in the hypertensive groups. There were no correlations with the maternal or gestational age, current weight gain in any of the groups or with the highest detected blood pressure in the pathological groups. These levels did not differ according to gravidity, smoking status and smoking during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Elevation of hs-CRP was more pronounced in women with gestational hypertension than in women with preeclampsia, which could indicate a different pathophysiological mechanism and a higher cardiovascular risk for those women.