The effect of pre-eclampsia on coagulation and fibrinolysis in newborns is still under investigation. We have evaluated several coagulation and fibrinolysis parameters in umbilical cord blood of 20 newborns from pre-eclamptic women and of 40 newborns from normotensive women with similar gestational age. Additionally, the presence of factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A mutation in cord blood has been assessed. Neonates from pre-eclamptic women exhibited significantly lower birth weight (2.48 +/- 0.92 versus 2.88 +/- 0.68 kg, P < 0.05) and were more frequently admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (45 versus 20%, P < 0.01) as compared with neonates from normotensive women. Cord blood protein C antigen and activated protein C resistance mean levels were slightly higher in the group of neonates from pre-eclamptic mothers. Fibrinogen levels were lower in this group as compared with control newborns (132.17 +/- 46.97 versus 156.08 +/- 49.58 mg%, P < 0.02), and unrelated to birth weight. No significant differences between cases and controls were found in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 or tissue plasminogen activator cord blood levels. Heterozygous prothrombin 20210A was found in three newborns from normotensive mothers, whereas no factor V Leiden mutation was found in either group. In conclusion, pre-eclampsia seems to have only mild effects on coagulation and fibrinolytic factors in the cord blood of newborns. Since no excess of common polymorphisms predisposing to thrombosis was found in newborns from pre-eclamptic mothers, it is unlikely that the carriership status of these genetic defects of newborns influences the adverse pregnancy/neonatal outcomes.