Angiogenic factors and histomorphological alterations encountered in preeclamptic placentae

Abstract

Background:Preeclampsia complicates 10% of pregnancies in the developed world. Alteration in angiogenic factors occurs in preeclampsia which leads to chronic hypoxic changes in placenta.Aim:To assess the histomorphological changes and expression of angiogenic factors in placenta of preeclamptic patients in comparison to normal placenta.Design: Cross sectional analytical study.Materials& Methods: This study was conducted from October 2013 to August 2015 and included 53 placenta from preeclamptic patients and 53 placenta from healthy pregnant women. Histomorphological changes were studied in the placenta. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) in the placental villi were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC).Statistical analysis: Done using IBM-SPSS 21.0. ‘p’ value < 0.05 was taken as significant.Results: In our study, 92.5% of preeclamptic group were in the age group of 21 to 34 years and 62.3% of them had placental weight of less than 500 grams.