Association Of GC Phenotypes With Pre-eclampsia-Possibility For A Causal Role.

ABSTRACT

Pre-eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and has been reported to be associated with altered vitamin D levels. GC being a vitamin D binding protein, may be playing a functional role in the pathophysiology of the disease. The present investigation conducted on 100 pre-eclamptic and hypertensive controls with a corresponding decrease in GC 1-1 phenotype as compared to normotensive controls. There was no difference in the frequency of GC 2-2 phenotype between eclamptic women and controls. A similar trent was observed in moderate and severe cases of pre-eclampsia and in multigravid women with recurrence of pre-eclampsia. Relative risk estimates revealed an increased risk for moderate and severe types of pre-eclampsia when their phenotypes were of GC 2-1. The increase in heterozygote frequency of GC in pre-eclampsia and hypertensive controls as compared to normotensive controls, indicates the risk of GC 2-1 phenotype which could be due to a direct physiological effect against the disease through increased physiological versatility where the two alleles of GC may vary functionally. It may be possible that the binding capacity of GC alleles 1 and 2 with vitamin D may be varying on similar lines as haptoglobin with haemoglobin. The altered levels of vitamin D as reported by many authors and the increased risk of GC 2-1 phenotype observed in the present study indicate a possibility for a causal relationship of this phenotype with the disease probably With a functional role.