RESUMO
Serum uric acid levels were measured in 19 pregnant Myanmar women clinically diagnosed as preeclampsia, before any treatment was given. The subjects were in the perid of 36 + or - 2 weeks gestation and their ages ranged from 20 to 40 years. Out of 90 cases, 12 had mild preeclampsia and 7 had severe preeclampsia. All cases became normotensive and proteinuria ceased after puerperium. The serum uric acid level of severe preeclampsia varied widely from 4.9 to 11.9 mg/dl while that of mild preeclampsia ranged from 3.4 to 7.9 mg/dl. The mean serum uric acid level of severe preeclampsia (9.3 + or - 2.36 mg/dl) was significantly higher than that of apparently healthy pregnant women of the same age and gestational period. The mean value of mild preeclampsia (5.5 + or - 1.38 mg/dl) was not significantly different from the normal. Therefore, a single uric acid level of a pregnant women is of little use as a predicting sign of preeclampsia.