Plasma level of vitamin C in women with pre-eclampsia in Ardabil, Iran

Pre-eclampsia, a vascular disorder of pregnancy, is a leading cause of maternal morbidityas well as perinatal morbidity and mortality. The cause of pre-eclampsia remains largely unknown.Accumulating evidences from clinical and epidemiological studies suggest that diffuse endothelialdysfunction, resulting from oxidative stress, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.Independent effect of maternal biological markers, such as elevated triglyceride or low plasma vitamin C(ascorbic acid) concentrations are related to increased pre-eclampsia risk.

The aim of this study was to determine plasma concentrations of vitamin C in women withpre-eclampsia.

This cross-sectional, case controlled study comprises 40 pre-eclamptic and 80normo-tensive pregnant women of singleton gestations in third trimester, in Allavi Hospital, Ardabil, Iran.Blood samples (5ml) were collected aseptically in heparin tube, and the plasma concentration of vitaminC was determined by spectrophotometric method. SPSS software package was used for analyzing thedata.

Plasma vitamin C level was found to be significantly lower (p<0.001) in the pre-eclampsiagroup than this level in the control group. Vitamin C levels in the pre-eclampsia group were found to beinfluenced by their maternal age (p<0.01), and was positively related to the gestational age (p<0.01).

Knowledge from this study may contribute to the development and evaluation of behavioraland medical interventions aimed at reducing the occurrence of pre-eclampsia.