Lipoprotein(a) in smoking and non-smoking pregnant women.

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) levels were studied in 68 non-smoking and 118 smoking pregnant women and compared with a control group of 29 subjectively healthy, age matched non-smoking females. The median Lp(a) concentration of the total group of non-smoking pregnant women (123 mg l-1) surpassed significantly that of the pregnant smokers of comparable gestational age (64 mg l-1). The last group was not significantly different to the control group (67 mg l-1). Comparison of the smoking and non-smoking pregnant women showed significantly higher Lp(a) values during the last trimester of gestation (> or = 28 weeks) in non-smokers. The higher Lp(a) concentration in the plasma of non-smoking women during a normal pregnancy might be a physiological necessity. In that case lower levels of Lp(a), as seen in the last trimester of the smoking pregnant group, might be unfavourable for the normal development of the rapidly growing fetus in the last stage of the gestation.