Placental protein 12 (PP 12) in pregnancy-induced hypertensive diseases

Abstract

Placental protein 12 (PP12) was measured in 30 patients with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, 10 healthy pregnant and 10 healthy nonpregnant controls. Differences in PP12-concentrations of healthy nonpregnant (median 2.0 micrograms/l, range 1.0-5.5 micrograms/l) and healthy pregnant controls (median 110 micrograms/l, range 29-280 micrograms/l), as well as between healthy nonpregnant controls and hypertensive patients (median 125 micrograms/l, range 28-420 micrograms/l) were both statistically highly significant (p less than 0.001). The comparison between healthy pregnant and hypertensive women demonstrated no statistically significant differences. In coexistent intrauterine growth retardation (median 163 micrograms/l, range 60-400 micrograms/l), higher values could be observed in some patients, but this group showed no statistically significant difference compared to healthy pregnant controls with adequate fetal weight. PP12 does not seem to be a clinically usable parameter in the diagnosis of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and fetal growth retardation, because of the widespread range of results.