Homocysteine and folate plasma concentrations in mother and baby at delivery after pre-eclamptic or normotensive pregnancy: Influence of parity

Hiten D Mistry; Joanna Mather; Margaret M Ramsay; Lesia O Kurlak; Michael E Symonds; Fiona Broughton Pipkin

doi:10.1016/j.preghy.2011.01.006

Homocysteine and folate plasma concentrations in mother and baby at delivery after pre-eclamptic or normotensive pregnancy: Influence of parity

Pregnancy Hypertens. 2011 Apr;1(2):150-5. doi: 10.1016/j.preghy.2011.01.006. Epub 2011 Feb 12.

Authors

Hiten D Mistry¹, Joanna Mather², Margaret M Ramsay², Lesia O Kurlak², Michael E Symonds³, Fiona Broughton Pipkin²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, UK.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK.
³ Academic Division of Child Health, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK.

PMID: 26104496
DOI: 10.1016/j.preghy.2011.01.006

Abstract

Pre-eclampsia affects between 2% and 7% of all pregnant women, contributing to perinatal and maternal morbidity. There are conflicting data on plasma homocysteine and folate in pre-eclampsia, and little about fetal concentrations.

Objectives: Firstly, to compare the concentrations of homocysteine and folate in maternal and paired fetal (umbilical venous) plasma samples from normotensive or pre-eclamptic pregnancies at delivery; secondly, to identify any effect of parity on these concentrations.

Study design: Hospital based cross-sectional study consisting of 24 normotensive and 16 pre-eclamptic pregnant White European women from whom maternal and fetal plasma samples were collected at delivery.

Main outcome measures: Maternal and fetal plasma homocysteine and folate concentrations between normotensive and pre-eclamptic pregnancies with varying parity.

Results: There were no significant differences in either maternal or fetal plasma homocysteine or folate concentrations between normotensive and pre-eclamptic pregnancies, or between homocysteine and folate. In both the normotensive and pre-eclamptic women, plasma folate concentration was higher in paired fetal compared to maternal plasma (P<0.001 and P=0.047, respectively). With regards to homocysteine, only the normotensive samples had higher fetal concentrations (P=0.002). Both maternal and fetal plasma folate concentrations were lower in parous women (P=0.001 and P=0.017, respectively), the lowest concentrations being in pre-eclamptic parous women (P=0.004), but homocysteine concentrations were similar (P>0.4 for both).

Conclusions: The low plasma folate in parous women is an interesting finding and, when intake is also low, may contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly in relation to pre-eclampsia.