Elevated C-reactive protein and pro-inflammatory cytokines in Andean women with pre-eclampsia

Objective: To investigate the concentration of markers of inflammation in non-pregnant women, women with normal pregnancy and women with pre-eclampsia. Methods: Pregnant women (n = 26), women with pre-eclampsia (n = 25) and non-pregnant normotensive women (n = 21) were included in the study. C-reactive protein was measured by latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay, serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by high sensitivity ELISA. Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric analysis of variance followed by the Mann-Whitney U-test were used for statistical analyses. Results: Higher values (mean ±S.E.M.) of C-reactive protein were found in pre-eclampsia (4.11 ± 0.37 mg/dl) compared with normal pregnant women (2.49 ± 0.26 mg/dl) and non-pregnant controls (1.33 ± 0.15 mg/dl). TNF-α was significantly higher in women with pre-eclampsia (15.74 ± 5.09 pg/ml), in relation to the control group (2.76 ± 0.41 pg/ml) and women with normal pregnancy (8.31 ± 1.55 pg/ml). IL-6 levels were significantly higher in pre-eclamptic women (12.91 ± 1.29 pg/ml) compared with normal pregnant (5.07 ± 0.423 pg/ml) and control women (1.25 ± 0.13 pg/ml). Conclusions: The results of this cross-sectional study in a high-risk Andean population show that both C-reactive protein and pro-inflammatory cytokines are present in higher concentrations in women with pre-eclampsia. The study was undertaken in women with established pre-eclampsia and it is not possible to determine whether the increased concentrations of C-reactive protein and pro-inflammatory cytokines were a cause or consequence of the disease.