Concentration of βthromboglobulin in urine in late pregnancy

Abstract

Concentrations of the platelet-specific protein βthromboglobulin were measured in the urine of women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Urinary levels of βthromboglobulin were greater than the 95 per cent confidence limit of the normal pregnant group in 7 out of 16 patients with moderate or severe pre-eclampsia, and this elevation could not be fully explained by an overall increase in protein excretion. One out of 15 patients with mild pre-eclampsia also had elevated urinary βthromboglobulin levels. Levels of βthromboglobulin were also elevated in 11 out of 88 pregnant women without hypertension or proteinuria. Eight of these 11 patients had some complication of pregnancy, namely infarcted placenta (3), intra-uterine growth retardation (2), placenta praevia (1), premature rupture of membranes (1) and ante-partum haemorrhage (1). Two individuals with normal urinary βthromboglobulin levels developed antepartum haemorrhage Show more