Lipid profile in women with preeclampsia: relationship between plasma triglyceride levels and severity of preeclampsia.

It has been hypothesized that, in preeclampsia, hypertriglyceridemia may lead to increased endothelial triglyceride accumulation that, in turn, may result in endothelial cell damage. The purpose of our study was to determine whether hypertriglyceridemia is associated with the severity of preeclampsia. We studied 29 preeclamptic patients and 46 normal pregnant women, aged 15 to 35 years, with singleton pregnancies, at 28 to 37 weeks' gestation. Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were measured enzymatically. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol was determined using a dextran sulfate-magnesium precipitation method. Patients with mild preeclampsia had a significant increase in plasma triglyceride levels (P < .001), while patients with severe preeclampsia had triglyceride levels comparable to controls. Our findings suggest that there is no direct relationship between triglyceride levels and severity of preeclampsia.