Fetal DNA Clearance from Maternal Plasma Is Impaired in Preeclampsia

serum has been reported in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. We hypothesized that impaired clearance of fetal DNA might contribute, at least in part, to the above-mentioned phenomenon. Methods: We studied 7 preeclamptic and 10 control pregnant women. All had male fetuses. Serial blood samples were obtained from before delivery to 6 h postpartum. Male fetal DNA in maternal plasma was measured by real-time quantitative PCR for the SRY gene on the Y chromosome. Results: The median fetal DNA concentrations before delivery were significantly higher in the preeclamptic women than in the controls (521 vs 227 genome-equiv-alents/mL for preeclamptic and control women, respec-tively; Mann–Whitney rank-sum test, P 0.017). Th