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Hypothesis: a central role for platelet activating factor in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia
F A Rodrigues1, G J Hofmeyr, E W Sonnendecker
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa.
Medical Hypotheses
|April 1, 1989
Abstract:
The pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia is uncertain, though many mechanisms have been postulated. These include an immune response to fetal or placental antigens, a thromboxane-prostacyclin system imbalance and an increase in levels of or responsiveness to angiotensin. We propose the hypothesis that platelet activating factor (PAF), a mediator of inflammatory and allergic responses, may be an important link between these pathophysiological events.