Hyperhomocysteinemia in preeclampsia is associated to higher risk pressure profiles.

Homocysteine levels have been determined with Chromatography on HPLC column, between the 20 th and the 24 th week of pregnancy, in women with analogous character- istics (a) normotensive, (b) with pregnancy-in- duced hypertension (PIH), low (LR), medium (MR), high risk (HR). The group they belonged to was confirmed after natural or caesarean deliv- ery. All the patients were submitted to 24 hour blood pressure monitoring for the evaluation of further pressure risk parameters: mean arterial pressure (MAP), non dippers, percentages of pressure peaks. Homocysteine levels in normotensive preg- nant women (5.8 ± 1.7 µM) were low. Significant high levels of homocysteine were present pro- portionally to the risk degree of PIH. Higher lev- els of homocysteine statistically significant were present in non dippers of all groups (MR p < 0.05; HR p < 0.01). A direct correlation between plasmatic ho- mocisteine levels and pressure profiles was found out in non dippers (r = 0.56, r = 0.55, r = 0.50 respectively) and in dippers (r = 0.7, r= 0.75, r = 0.60 respectively), and also between levels of homocysteine, MAP value, and patho- logical percentages of systolic and diastolic nocturnal peaks. In pregnant women present- ing preeclampsia afterwards, high levels of ho- mocysteine were not different from mean val- ues present in high risk PIH pregnant women (13.3 ± 1.9 vs. 16.4 ± 1.7 µM). High levels of homocysteine early determined in the second trimester of PIH pregnancies seem to be associated to a pregnancy higher risk, co- existing with dangerous pressure profiles. High levels confirm a pregnant woman to belong to a higher or lower risk degree of vascular damage, but in the same group context high levels of ho- mocisteine do not allow to identify those preg- nant women who will develop eclampsia.