AUTHOR=Marek-Iannucci Stefanie , Oliveros Estefania , Brailovsky Yevgeniy , Pirlamarla Preethi , Roman Amanda , Rajapreyar Indranee N. 

TITLE=Natriuretic peptide biomarkers in the imminent development of preeclampsia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2023.1203516

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2023.1203516

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Preeclampsia is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy, the incidence being significantly higher in low-income countries with reduced access to health care. Women with preeclampsia are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease with a poorer long-term outcome. Early recognition and treatment are key to improve short and long-term outcomes. 3-5% of pregnant women will develop preeclampsia, with potentially fatal outcome. Despite ongoing research, the exact pathophysiologic mechanism behind its development remains unclear. In this brief report we describe the potential role of natriuretic peptides as biomarkers for the imminent development of preeclampsia. In a retrospective manner, we analyzed changes in left ventricular ejection fraction, left atrial volume and increase in natriuretic peptide in correlation with the development of preeclampsia. We found that 3 out of 4 patients developed a significant increase in natriuretic peptide, which correlated with the development of preeclampsia and/or peripartum cardiomyopathy. Significant increases in natriuretic peptides around the time of delivery might be a marker for the imminent development of preeclampsia. Close monitoring of natriuretic peptide levels in the peripartum period, could give important insight in the imminent development of preeclampsia in high-risk patients. Close follow up in specialized cardio-obstetric clinics is highly recommended.