[Histocompatibility antigens in pregnant women with preeclampsia and in their husbands].

Objectives: Several pedigree and epidemiological studies have suggested that preeclampsia (PE) has an immunogenetic basis. Therefore, we have attempted to disclose a possible association between antigens of the HLA system (HLA-A, B and C) and development of PE.

Design And Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocytes were typed for HLA-A, B and C antigens by the two-stage microlymphocytotoxic test in 32 pregnant women with PE and in their husbands from south-east Poland. As a control population 411 healthy unrelated inhabitants of south-east Poland were studied. The obtained individual HLA antigens frequencies were compared with these in control individuals using Chi-square test and relative risk (RR) was computed as described by Svejgaard (1974).

Results: The frequency of B13 antigen occurrence was significantly higher in the women group with PE as compared to that in general population, and revealed significant association with the development of PE (0.02 < p < 0.05; RR = 2.733), while the frequency of Cw4 antigen was significantly lower (0.02 < p < 0.05; RR = 0.283). The frequency of B22 antigen occurrence in husbands group was significantly higher as compared with that in general population and this difference achieved very high statistical significance and strong association with the development of PE (p < 0.001; RR = 9.452).

Conclusions: Results of our study point to the genetic transmission of susceptibility to PE. Typing for these antigens could be a potentially useful prenatal test for predicting which couples are at risk for PE.