Category: Hypertension
Poster Session III
Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a biomarker of inflammation associated with autoimmune renal and cardiovascular disease that may be associated with preeclampsia. We aimed to evaluate plasma suPAR levels throughout pregnancy in women with and without hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), including preeclampsia, eclampsia, and gestational hypertension.
Study Design:
This was a secondary analysis of the NYU Children’s Health and Environment Study (CHES), a prospective birth cohort designed to assess the impact of prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals on maternal and child health. CHES participants with suPAR data in any trimester and information about HDP were included (n=329). We regressed suPAR levels on the gestational age at time of sample collection to assess change over the course of gestation. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess whether suPAR levels in each trimester and averaged over pregnancy were different among participants with and without HDP. Among a subset of participants with repeated measures, we utilized paired Wilcoxon tests to assess the within-person change in suPAR across trimesters in both groups.
Results:
Participants with HDP (n=44) were older and had higher body mass index. In the overall population, suPAR decreased by 1.1% per week of advancing gestation (p < 0.001). suPAR levels did not significantly differ between those with and without HDP at any sampling timepoint. However, among the subset with repeated measures, suPAR values significantly decreased across pregnancy among those without HDP (p < 0.001), but remained stable among those with HDP (p=0.58) (Figure 1).
Conclusion:
Although HDP is a primary cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy, predictive biomarkers are lacking. suPAR levels decrease with advancing gestation among healthy women, but remain stable in women with HDP, which may reflect a heightened inflammatory state. Additional research is needed to understand if stable suPAR levels can predict HDP accurately in clinical practice.
Meghana Limaye, MD
NYU Langone Health, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
New York, New York, United States
Whitney Cowell, MPH, PhD
NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, United States
Sara G. Brubaker, MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, United States
Linda G. Kahn, MPH, PhD
Division of Environmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
New York, New York, United States
Leonardo Trasande, MD, PhD
Division of Environmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
New York, New York, United States
Shilpi Mehta-Lee, MD (she/her/hers)
NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, United States