ABSTRACT
Pre-eclampsia is a medical condition in which hypertension arises in pregnancy [pregnancy-induced hypertension] in association with significant amounts of protein in the urine. Pre-eclampsia may develop from 20 weeks gestation [it is considered early onset before 32 weeks, which is associated with increased morbidity]. Platelets play an important role in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of preeclampsia. The aim of this work was to study the platelet activation state by flow cytometer analysis of platelet expression of CD62p in patients with preeclampsia. This study was conducted on ten cases of mild preeclampsia [group I], their ages range was 22- 36 years and ten cases of severe preeclampsia [group II] their ages range was 20-35 years .Also ten normotensive pregnant women were included as a control group [group III] . The percentage of platelets expression of the CD61, CD62p and MFI were analyzed by the flow- cytometr . The mean percentage of CD62p expression on platelets and MFI were 67. 3% and 6.5 respectively in mild preeclampsia compared with 3.7% and 1.5 in normotensive pregnant as control [p < 0.01 and p < 0.015 respectively]. Also the mean percentage of CD62p expression on platelets and MFI were 73.3% and 2.1 respectively in severe preeclampsia, they showed significant increase when compared with normotensive pregnant as control [p < 0.01 and p < 0.015 respectively]. There were a positive significant correlation between% of expression of CD 62p on platelets and SBP, DBP, protein in urine, and% CD61. While a negative significant correlation between% of expression of CD 62p on platelets and age, platelet count and CD62P MFI was found. High levels of platelet glycoprotein CD62p expressions in patients with mild and severe preeclampsia, could be a compensatory mechanism for the preeclampsia induced thrombocytopenia