[Value of serum cystatin C level in assessing renal damage in preeclamptic patients].

Objective: To evaluate the significance of the serum cystatin C (Cys-C) in assessing renal dysfunction in preeclamptic women.

Methods: Ninety-six women with normal pregnancies and 48 with severe preeclampsia were examined for 24-hour creatinine clearance (CrCl), serum creatinine (Scr), Cys-C, uric acid (UA) and beta microglobulin (MG) concentrations during the second and third trimesters and postpartum in severe preeclamptic patients. These indexes were analyzed to estimate the glomerular filtration rate.

Results: The concentrations of Scr, UA and MG were significantly higher in the third trimester than in the second trimester in women with normal pregnancies, where serum Cys-C levels showed no significant variations. Severe preeclamptic patients exhibited significantly higher serum Cys-C levels in the third than in the second trimester. Correlation analyses demonstrated significant negative correlations between Cys-C and 24-hour CrCl in the second and third trimesters in all the 144 pregnant women and in the postpartum period in severe preeclamptic patients.

Conclusion: Serum Cys-C can serve as a good indicator for assessing renal function in severe preeclamptic women from antepartum to postpartum periods.