Summary
The plasma levels of several haemostatic and fibrinolytic parameters were measured
before and after delivery in 61 hypertensive pregnant women of whom 22 developed preeclampsia,
and compared to the results obtained in 42 normal pregnant women. In the two last
weeks before delivery (D ≤ –15) tPA antigen, PAI-1 activity, vWF: Ag/FVIII: C ratio,
ATIII activity and platelet count were found to be significantly different in the
hypertensive pregnant women with and without preeclampsia. Combined all together,
an association of three of these five parameters were found to be pathological (i.e.:
tPA: Ag ≥19 ng/ml, PAI-1 activity ≥58 IU/ml, vWF: Ag/FVIII: C ratio 5≥2.6, ATIII activity
≤73%) in none of the hypertensive women without preeclampsia and in only 35% of the
preeclamptic group. A positive correlation was demonstrated between vWF:Ag/FVIII:C
ratio and tPA:antigen levels suggesting that both tPA and vWF: Ag could be considered
as early indicators of a possible micro angiopathy occurring in preeclampsia. However,
due to the high dispersion of the results, it appears that the investigated haemostatic
and/or fibrinolytic criteria give only presumptive arguments before assigning risk
for preeclampsia development among hypertensive pregnant women.
