Brief overview of maternal triglycerides as a risk factor for pre-eclampsia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Features of the metabolic syndrome-maternal obesity, diabetes mellitus and chronic hypertension-are risk factors for pre-eclampsia.

OBJECTIVES:

To determine the risk of pre-eclampsia in the presence of maternal hypertriglyceridemia, another major element of the metabolic syndrome.

SEARCH STRATEGY:

Two investigators independently searched PubMed and Embase databases from 1980 to December 2004 for relevant studies. The terms preeclampsia, eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension or toxemia were combined with dyslipidemia, hyperlipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides (TG) or lipoprotein.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

We included case-control and cohort studies published in English that included at least 20 women with pre-eclampsia and that sampled serum or plasma TG at any time before, during or after pregnancy.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:

Mean maternal TG concentrations were compared between cases and controls within each study. The odds ratio of pre-eclampsia was calculated by comparing the risk of pre-eclampsia among women in each higher TG concentration category with that in the lowest reference category.

MAIN RESULTS:

A total of 19 case-control and 3 prospective cohort studies were included. In 14 studies, the mean TG concentration was significantly higher among pre-eclamptic cases than among unaffected controls; in seven other studies, there was a nonsignificant trend in the same direction. The risk of pre-eclampsia typically doubled with each increasing TG category. In the four studies that adjusted for potential confounders, such as maternal age, parity and body mass index, there was about a four-fold higher risk of pre-eclampsia in the highest relative to the lowest TG category.

AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS:

There exists a consistent positive association between elevated maternal TG and the risk of pre-eclampsia. Given that maternal hypertriglyceridemia is a common feature of the metabolic syndrome, interventional studies are needed to determine whether pre-pregnancy weight reduction and dietary modification can lower the risk of pre-eclampsia.

• Authors: J G Ray, P Diamond, G Singh, C M Bell
• Journal: BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology (BJOG) Vol. 113 Issue 4 Pg. 379-86 (Apr 2006) ISSN: 1470-0328 [Print] England
• PMID: 16553649 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Triglycerides

Topics

• Biomarkers (blood)
• Case-Control Studies
• Cohort Studies
• Female
• Humans
• Hypertriglyceridemia (blood, complications)
• Pre-Eclampsia (blood, etiology)
• Pregnancy
• Risk Factors
• Triglycerides (blood)