RESUMO
To determine maternal serum lipid levels in patients with preeclampsia compared with normoten-sive pregnant women matched for height, weight, age and gestational age. It was a case- control study conducted in the Department of Physiology B.M.S.I. J.P.M.C. Karachi, in collaboration with department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics from November 2005 to July 2006. Fifty Preeclamptics and fifty normotensive women were prospectively recruited for this study matched for height, weight, age and gestational age. Only nulliparous subjects with singleton pregnancies were included in this study. The mean values of serum triglycerides and VLDL - cholesterol were highly significant [P<0.001] in preeclamptics as compared to the control group, and a significant lower [P<0.05] values of serum HDL- cholesterol in preeclamptics as compared to the control group and the non - significant difference between the values of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol between the two groups were found. The findings suggested that women with preeclampsia had altered lipid profile, so it may be useful to measure first trimester serum lipid levels which may have potential in predicting pregnancies destined to become complicated by preeclampsia. Early identification would be of considerable clinical value for appropriate management of these high risk patients