Fibrinogen concentration and factor VIII activity in women with preeclampsia

To compare fibrinogen concentration and factor VIII activity obtained from pregnant women with preeclampsia with those obtained from women with either normal pregnancies or with complications unrelated to preeclampsia.

Fibrinogen concentration and factor VIII activity were measured in the following groups: normal pregnancy, consisting of women at routine 16- to 28-week antenatal visits or after admission at term for elective cesarean section; women with non-preeclampsia (non-PE) related conditions, including women with threatened abortion, cholestasis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and previous deep venous thrombosis (DVT); and women with preeclampsia as defined by the Australasion Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (ASSHP) criteria. Blood was collected from 44 women in each group. Fibrinogen concentration and factor VIII activity were measured.

Fibrinogen concentrations and factor VIII activities were higher in women with preeclampsia compared with those from women with either normal or complicated pregnancies (p < 0.05). It was twice as likely that a woman with preeclampsia would have a raised fibrinogen and factor VIII levels. The ranges for each analyte did, however, show overlap. Women with preeclampsia were more likely to have both a raised fibrinogen concentration and increased factor VIII activity than other pregnant women (p < 0.001).

This study has shown a novel increase in both fibrinogen concentration and factor VIII activity in pregnant women with preeclampsia compared with values obtained from women with normal or non-preeclampsia complicated pregnancies, with women with preeclampsia twice as likely to have a raised fibrinogen concentration and increased factor VIII activity. These changes may contribute to the hypercoagulability seen in preeclampsia.