Evaluation of Inflammatory Markers in Pregnant Women at Risk, for the Prediction of Preeclampsia

Introduction: A low degree of inflammation has been associated with complications in pregnancies, including preeclampsia (PE). The aim of our study was to determine the serum values of high sensitivity C Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy in pregnant women with risk factors for the development of PE, and to evaluate their relevance for the prediction of this disorder.

Material and methods: We performed a prospective longitudinal study on 120 pregnant women, who were divided based on the pregnancy evolution, into two groups: group I - 26 pregnant women who developed preeclampsia and group II - 94 pregnant women with physiological evolution of pregnancy.

Results: Our study has shown an increase in serum levels of hs-CRP and IL-6 in the first and second trimester of pregnancy in patients from group I, significant values being revealed only in the second trimester of pregnancy. The predictive power of the selected inflammatory markers was significant only for values of hs-CRP in the second trimester of pregnancy, while the association with IL-6 increased the prediction.

Conclusions: Increased values of hs-CRP and IL-6 in the second trimester of pregnancy are associated with higher risk for preeclampsia, however the study provided only a modest efficiency of the prediction capacity.