Affiliations: [a] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Perinatology, Zeynep Kamil Women and Children Health Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| [b] Department of Medical Pharmacology, Hamidiye Faculty of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| [c] Department of Biochemistry, Hamidiye Faculty of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| [d] Hamidiye International School of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| [e] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zeynep Kamil Women and Children Health Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Merve Kabasakal Ilter, PhD, Department of Medical Pharmacology, Hamidiye Faculty of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane (Hamidiye) Külliyesi Selimiye Mah. Tıbbiye Cad. No:38, Istanbul, 34668 Turkey. E-mail: [email protected]; ORCID: 0000-0002-4579-9085.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Pregnancy is a dynamic process associated with changes in vascular and rheological resistance. Maternal maladaptation to these changes is the leading cause of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to assess the hemorheological alterations in pregnancies with a high risk for preeclampsia in the first trimester. METHODS:Ninety-two pregnant women were allocated into the high preeclampsia risk group (37 cases) and control groups (55 cases). Plasma and whole blood viscosity and red blood cell morphodynamic properties, including deformability and aggregation were assessed by Brookfield viscometer and laser-assisted optical rotational cell analyzer (LORRCA) at 11–14 gestational weeks. RESULTS:Whole blood viscosity was significantly higher in the high-risk group at all shear rates. Plasma viscosity and hematologic factors showed no differences between the groups. Hematocrit levels positively correlated with high blood viscosity only in the high-risk group. There were no significant changes in the other deformability and aggregation parameters. CONCLUSIONS:Changes in the whole blood viscosity of pregnant women with high preeclampsia risk refer to impaired microcirculation beginning from the early weeks of gestation. We suggest that the whole blood viscosity is consistent with the preeclampsia risk assessment in the first trimester, and its measurement might be promising for identifying high-preeclampsia-risk pregnancies.
