Plasma urate measurements and fetal outcome in preeclampsia.

The relation of fetal birth weight to plasma urate concentrations and blood pressure was studied in 71 pregnant women with hypertension. The tendency to low birth weight was markedly increased when maternal plasma urate concentrations were over the normal level, generally in association with preeclampsia. Plasma urate showed a better correlation than either edema or proteinuria by itself with low fetal birth weight. Hypertension in association with elevated levels of plasma urate showed the lowest birth weight. Hyperuricemia in normotensive pregnancies showed similar fetal birth weights as maternal hypertension without other preeclamptic symptoms. These findings suggest that, in terms of fetal development, changes in renal retention of urate may be an additional predicting factor for fetal development as important as hypertension alone.