Preeclampsia and eclampsia are the primary causes of maternal mortality. In the state of Nuevo León, from 1990 to 1998, these conditions represented 44.1% of maternal deaths. The presence of thrombogenic substances (homocysteine, C protein, and anticardiolipin antibodies) in the mother's blood has been related to this problem. The C677T polymorphism of the enzyme methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) favors the increase of homocysteine levels, while folic acid (FA) supplementation decreases its levels.
Objective: To establish the role of FA in the physiopathology of preeclampsia in our environment. KIND OF STUDY: Longitudinal, prospective and comparative.
Cases: Women with severe preeclampsia and/or eclampsia (n-13).
Controls: Women in the third trimester of a normal pregnancy (n + 15). 20 mL Blood samples were taken during the first 24 hours of puerperium, and their AF, homocysteine and MTHFR polymorphism were measured. The t Student test and the Exact Fisher test were used to compare between both groups.
Results: The values obtained for homocysteine were (x + SD):
Cases: 9.85 micromoles/L + 2.88, and controls: 7.61 micromoles/L + 1.32 (p < 0.04). The frequency (%) of the genetic polymorphism for MTHFR was: positive homozygotes (T/T): 38.46 vs. 20, heterozygotes (C/T): 38.46 vs. 26.6, negative homozygotes (C/C): 23 vs 53, for cases and controls, respectively.
Conclusions: According to our study, the frequency of the homozygote state (T/T) of MTHFR and increased blood levels of homocysteine is greater in women suffering from preeclampsia.