Predictive Role of Placental Induced Growth Factor (PIGF) In Preeclampsia: A Case-Control Study.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive condition that occurs during pregnancy and accounts for 2% to 8% of complications related to pregnancy globally. The diagnosis of preeclampsia is made when the blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mmHg after 20 weeks of pregnancy, occurring on two separate occasions with a minimum time gap of 4 hours, or exceeds 160/100 mmHg within a short period of time. Several biomarkers have been identified for prediction and diagnosis of preeclampsia. One of these biomarkers is Placental induced growth factor (PlGF), a factor that promotes angiogenesis, which belongs to the vascular endothelial growth factor family. Significantly reduced serum levels of placental growth factor (PIGF) have been observed in women diagnosed with preeclampsia compared to normotensive pregnancies. This study was designed to answer the question whether the measurement of PIGF at third trimester might be a predictive factor for the appearance of preeclampsia. Method: A comparative study was made on 40 women with PE and 40 age-gestational-age matched women without preeclampsia, as case and control, respectively. Levels of serum PIGF were measured, compared and its role in prediction of preeclampsia was studied. Results: The mean serum level of PIGF in cases was significantly lower (78.54±152.63pg/ml) than mean serum PIGF level of controls (553.73±263.27 pg./ml). When ROC analysis was done, PIGF =121.9pg/ml was found giving highest Youden index with sensitivity of 97.50%(95%CI-86.8 - 99.9), specificity of 100% (95%CI-91.2-100) and AUC of 0.97 (95% CI =0.91-0.99). Conclusion: Along with the hallmark symptoms of preeclampsia like high blood pressure and proteinuria, measurement of PIGF levels in late pregnant stage may be helpful in prediction of preeclampsia before actual onset of clinical symptoms which further assist in better diagnosis and management of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]