ABSTRACT
Continuous Doppler studies of umbilical and uterine arteries were performed in 20 hypertensive women during their last trimester of pregnancy compared to 10 normotensive patients through the detection of systolic-diastolic [S/D] ratio. The umbilical cord plasma levels of total cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein, low density and high density lipoprotein, [VLDL, LDL, and HDL] were estimated at term pregnancies from infants of hypertensive mothers. It was found that the total cholesterol and LDL were significantly higher in the new borns of hypertensive mothers compared with those levels in the new borns of normotensive mothers. Meanwhile, infants plasma levels of HDL and VLDL were similar in both groups. Moreover, pathological S/D ratios were detected in 8 patients with severe hypertension compared to the 12 hypertensive patients with normal S/D ratios. Based on these findings, it was concluded that maternal hypertension with pathological S/D ratios was found to be suggestive of vasopasm in the uterine or umbilical, or both arteries. Moreover, it was associated with hypercholesterolemia in their fetuses and significant increase of LDL [P <0.05] compared with infants of hypertensive mothers with normal S/D ratios. These biochemical findings are consequences of reduced fetal adrenal utilization of LDL and cholesterol in the process of steroidogenesis