Possible role of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in prediction of perinatal outcome in preeclampsia and fetal growth retardation related to preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate maternal serum and neonatal umbilical cord asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels in prediction of perinatal prognosis in pregnancies with preeclampsia (PE) and fetal intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) accompanying PE (PE + IUGR).
METHODS: Maternal serum ADMA (msADMA) and neonatal umbilical cord ADMA (ucADMA) levels were studied from 34 patients with PE, 25 patients with PE + IUGR, and 30 healthy pregnant controls in this prospective case-control study. Umbilical artery Doppler indices of fetuses, birth weights, Apgar scores, umbilical artery pH measurements of neonates, and admissions to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were recorded.
RESULTS: Median msADMA was significantly higher in PE and PE + IUGR groups (p = 0.024 and p = 0.011, respectively), and ucADMA was significantly higher in PE and PE + IUGR groups than the control group (p = 0.029 and p = 0.018, respectively). Median msADMA and ucADMA levels were significantly higher in the PE + IUGR group than the PE group (p = 0.019 and 0.021, respectively). ucADMA levels did not correlate with fetal umbilical arterial blood flow neither in the PE nor in the PE + IUGR group (p = 0.518 and p = 0.892, respectively). None was related with neonatal umbilical artery pH or NICU admission rates.
CONCLUSIONS: msADMA and ucADMA correlated with severity of PE. msADMA and ucADMA failed to predict perinatal outcome in patients with PE and PE + IUGR.