Homocysteine and folate plasma concentrations in mother and baby at delivery after pre-eclamptic or normotensive pregnancy: influence of parity

Pre-eclampsia affects between 2-7% of all pregnant women, contributing to perinatal and maternal morbidity. There are conflicting data on plasma homocysteine and folate in pre-eclampsia, and little about fetal concentrations. Objectives: Firstly, to compare the concentrations of homocysteine and folate in maternal and paired fetal (umbilical venous) plasma samples from normotensive or pre-eclamptic pregnancies at delivery; secondly, to identify any effect of parity on these concentrations. Study design: Hospital based cross-sectional study consisting of 24 normotensive and 16 pre-eclamptic pregnant White European women from whom maternal and fetal plasma samples were collected at delivery. Main outcome measures: Maternal and fetal plasma homocysteine and folate concentrations between normotensive and pre-eclamptic pregnancies with varying parity. Results: There were no significant differences in either maternal or fetal plasma homocysteine or folate concentrations between normotensive and pre-eclamptic pregnancies, or between homocysteine and folate. In both the normotensive and pre-eclamptic women, plasma folate concentration was higher in paired fetal compared to maternal plasma (P 0.4 for both). Conclusions: The low plasma folate in parous women is an interesting finding and, when intake is also low, may contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly in relation to pre-eclampsia