[Imbalance of pro-oxidants-antioxidants in blood of pregnant women with pregnancy induced hypertension].

Design: The purpose of our study was to determine a prooxidant-antioxidant balance in pregnant women with the newly diagnosed pregnancy-induced hypertension and in normal pregnancies.
Materials and Methods: The research was performed on 20 pregnancies complicated with hypertension (PIH) and 17 normal pregnancies in the third trimester of gestation. The age, BPs, BPd, edema and proteinuria were noted to characterize the patients. The reduced glutathione concentration and the glutathione peroxidase activity were measured in red blood cell hemolysates. In plasma, the concentrations of the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances such as lipid peroxidation products and the hydrogen peroxide were determined.
Results: There were patients of similar age: pregnancies with PIH and uncomplicated pregnancies were 25.7 +/- 3.96 years old and 25.7 +/- 4.54 years old, respectively. Proteinuria was found in five pregnancies with PIH and in one normal pregnant woman. Edema was noted in eight pregnancies with PIH and in three normal pregnancies. In the group of pregnancies complicated with hypertension, BPs and BPd were 147.7 +/- 6.78 mmHg and 94.2 +/- 4.94 mmHg, respectively. In the group of patients with PIH, reduced glutathione concentration significantly decreased and the TBARS levels increased as compared with results noted in normal pregnancies. No differences in the glutathione peroxidase activity and the hydrogen peroxide concentration were noted between groups of patients.
Conclusions: Obtained results of the research allowed us to conclude that the pregnancy-induced hypertension is associated with the overproduction of lipid peroxides and impaired antioxidant defence.