Study of Plasma fibrinogen in pregnant women with severe preeclampsia

Abstract

Background:Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy constituting a major cause of maternal and fatal morbidity and mortality.Pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state with changes in procoagulant, anticoagulant, and fibrinolytic systems. In preeclampsia, there is a shift in the haemostatic balance towards a pro-thrombotic state, together with changes in endothelial function. It is a state of enhanced coagulation as evidenced by an increased amount of clotting factors in maternal circulation. Aim of the study:To study the changes in plasma fibrinogen in pregnant women suffering from severe preeclampsia in comparison with healthy normotensive pregnant women and to correlate its level with the severity of preeclampsia. Patients and Methods:This study was carried out at Alyarmouk Teaching Hospital from July to October 2010.This study included thirty five pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy with severe preeclampsia.A total of thirty five healthy pregnant women who werenot in labour, their age and gestational age matchedwith the patients and normotensive throughout gestation were included as a control group.All patients gave their written informed consent before entering the studyBlood samples were taken from both groups for measurement ofFibrinogen. The student T-test and correlation coefficient study were used for statistical tests. Results:There was significant difference inmean plasma fibrinogen between patients with severe preeclampsia (5.10±0.83) and control group (4.24±0.61). (P value <0.0001). Conclusions:Plasma fibrinogen was significantly increased in patients with severe preeclampsia than control group and show significant direct linear correlation with the severity of preeclampsia. Key word: fibrinogen, preeclampsia