[The HELPP syndrome--evidence of a possible systemic inflammatory response in pre-eclampsia?]

The principal causes of morbidity and mortality during pregnancy in Mexico, are preeclampsia/eclampsia, obstetric hemorrhage and puerperium complications; this is, 62% of maternal deaths in last years. HELLP syndrome was observed between 5 to 25% of the mortality in pregnancies of 36 weeks or less.

To analyze patients with HELLP syndrome in ICU's (Intensive Care Unit) of a Gynecology and Obstetric Hospital, related to the abnormal hematological, hepatic and renal results with the obstetric case history and the clinical complications.

A transversal study in patients with HELLP syndrome during 1998 and 1999 were carry out.

Peripheral blood with Microangiopathic hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes: AST, ALT over 40 UI/L, even when were LDH lower than 600 UI/L. It was evaluated the hepatic and renal function, platelets count, microangiopathic hemolysis, arterial pressure, seizures, icteric skin color, blindness, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting and upper quadrant right abdominal pain. In newborn we analyzed gestational age, sex, weight and APGAR. We studied for an association between maternal and biochemical variables with Correlation Pearson Test, and dependence between variables with lineal regression model.

2878 patients with hypertensives disorders in pregnancy (11.64%). The 1.15% (n = 33) had HELLP syndrome with specific maternal mortality of 0.4 per 10,000 live birth, perinatal mortality of 1.62 per 10,000 live birth; and renal damage in 84.5%. Coefficient beta was higher between number of pregnancies to platelets count (-0.33) and creatinine clearance (-0.401).

We found an important renal damage, low platelets, elevated liver enzymes in women with two or more pregnancies. Then we propose there are similarities between HELLP syndrome and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) because they could have the same pathophysiology.