Value of first-trimester serum lipid profile in early prediction of preeclampsia and its severity: A prospective cohort study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of first-trimester serum lipid profile with preeclampsia (PE) and if so, its association with the severity of the disease.

STUDY: Prospective cohort study.

PATIENT AND METHODS: A total of 251 pregnant women participated in this study in their first trimester. Maternal blood samples were collected between 4 and 12 weeks of gestation. Fasting serum triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were drawn and measured by ELISA. From the cohort, 26 women developed PE (16 mild and 10 severe) and 174 remained normotensive and used as control subjects.

RESULTS: There was a significant rise in fasting serum TGs, TC, and LDL-C and a significant decrease in HDL-C in women who developed PE than in those who remained normotensive and more significantly evident in severe preeclamptic cases compared to mild cases of PE (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Early pregnancy dyslipidemia, particularly hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, may help in predicting women who later develop PE and may help in prediction of its severity.