Preeclampsia is a multisystem progressive disorder characterized by the new onset of hypertension and proteinuria or the new onset of hypertension and significant end-organ dysfunction with or without proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation or postpartum in previously normotensive women. It is develops due to placental and maternal vascular dysfunction and disappears after delivery gradually by time. The incidence is estimated to be between 3 and 10% of all pregnancies.
Maternal endothelial dysfunction which leads to pre-eclamptic signs and symptoms is induced by high levels of the antiangiogenic factor sFLT1, which is produced in the placenta and released into the maternal circulation. sFLT1 is a soluble splice variant of the membrane-bound receptor VEGFR1 that binds to the proangiogenic proteins VEGF and placental growth factor (PlGF); therefore, sFLT1 acts as a ligand trap and antagonizes ligand-mediated angiogenic signalling via the cell surface receptors.
Aim of the work
The aim of this work was to evaluate serum levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) in cases of severe preeclampsia and eclamptic fits,and to correlate serum levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) in these cases to outcome of fetus and mother and incidence of complication.