Subclinical infection as a cause of inflammation in preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-exclusive hypertensive disorder, is the major cause of maternal and perinatal mortality, with a greater importance in developing countries. The role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia has been the object of recent studies by our group. We have described elevated levels of inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein) in preeclamptic patients and demonstrated that Latin-American women present a higher degree of inflammation than women from developed countries.

Determination of insulin resistance using the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) and its relation with the risk of developing pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Objective: To assess whether increased insulin resistance determined by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) early in pregnancy is associated with the subsequent development of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) in Colombian women with known risk factors.

Methods: We conducted a nested case control study in a prospective cohort of 572 normotensive pregnant women, with gestational age < or = 30 weeks, recruited in Bucaramanga and Floridablanca, Colombia. Fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were determined at enrollment, and HOMA index was calculated.

Raised C-reactive protein and impaired flow-mediated vasodilation precede the development of preeclampsia.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether impaired flow mediated vasodilation precedes the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia and whether is associated with inflammation.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study in a prospective cohort of 506 normotensive women recruited before the 30th week of gestation (mean gestational age of 21.8 weeks).