Basic fibroblast growth factor and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy

Objective:We examined serum concentrations of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and analyzed whether serum concentrations of bFGF can be used as a discriminator between mild and severe preeclampsia. Methods: One hundred and twenty pregnant women were included in this prospective cohort study. We evaluated serum concentrations of bFGF in pregnant women with chronic hypertension (n = 22), mild preeclampsia (n = 40), severe preeclampsia (n = 31), and healthy pregnant women (n = 27). Results: Median serum concentrations of bFGF in healthy pregnant women, women with chronic hypertension, and women with mild or severe preeclampsia were 0.0 (0-37.2), 0.0 (0-3.0), 1.7 (0-97.2), and 0.0 (0-52.0), respectively. Comparison of the median values of serum bFGF concentrations showed a significant difference between healthy pregnant women and women with mild preeclampsia (P = 0.02). In a logistic regression model, we found a significant influence of bFGF serum concentrations on the diagnosis of mild preeclampsia (P = 0.01), but not on the diagnosis of chronic hypertension (P = 0.19) or severe preeclampsia (P = 0.41). Conclusions: Elevated serum concentrations of bFGF are associated with mild preeclampsia, but are not discriminatory for the distinction between mild and severe preeclampsia.