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Leptin and pre-eclampsia in black African parturients
G E Kafulafula1, J Moodley, P J Ojwang
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Objective:
To measure serum concentrations of the hormone leptin during late pregnancy in Black African women with pre-eclampsia, healthy normotensive pregnant women as controls and healthy normotensive non-pregnant women; secondly, to explore the relationship between leptin and obesity.
Design:
Observational, cross sectional study.
Setting:
Antenatal clinics, antenatal wards, gynaecology out patient and family planning clinics of a tertiary hospital, Durban, South Africa.
Population:
Pregnant and non-pregnant Black African women.
Method:
Serum leptin was measured by a homologous radio-immunoassay technique. Simple anthropometric parameters were used to explore the relationship between leptin and obesity. In each group, leptin levels were compared between obese (body mass index, BMI > or = 30 kg m(-2)) and lean women.
Main Outcome Measures:
Serum leptin concentrations, anthropometric parameters, mean blood pressures and proteinuria.
Results:
There were 68 women with pre-eclampsia, 92 healthy normotensive pregnant women (controls) and 32 healthy normotensive non-pregnant women. Serum leptin levels were higher in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women [26.66 (1.96) and 25.89 (1.65) vs 17.97 (2.11) ng/mL, P = 0.02]. Weight and BMI showed the greatest correlation with leptin both in pregnant (r = 0.61 and r = 0.58, respectively) and non-pregnant women (r = 0.74 and 0.79, respectively). There was no significant difference in the mean concentrations of leptin between women with and those without pre-eclampsia [26.66 (1.96) vs 25.89 (1.65) ng/mL, respectively, P = 0.95].
Conclusion:
Pregnancy is a hyperleptinaemic state. There is no difference in serum leptin levels between Black African women with pre-eclampsia and healthy normotensive pregnant women. Serum leptin concentration is largely determined by the degree of adiposity.