Abstract
Purpose Raised circulating levels of the potent vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (ET-1) have been demonstrated in diabetes and pregnancyinduced hypertension. Pregnant women with diabetic retinopathy are known to be at a higher risk of developing pregnancy-induced hypertension than those without retinopathy. To examine the association between ET-1, pregnancy, diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, circulating ET-1 levels were measured in each trimester in a cohort of women with and without diabetes during pregnancy.
Methods A cohort of women with diabetes (n = 13) and normal controls (n = 8) were followed throughout pregnancy. Detailed clinical and fundoscopic examinations were carried out according to ETDRS protocols. Plasma ET-1 levels were measured in each trimester using a sensitive radioimmunoassay. Those with diabetes were further divided into those with retinopathy (n = 7) and those without (n = 6).
Results Plasma levels of ET-1 increased progressively during normal pregnancy and peaked in the third trimester. Women with diabetes had significantly higher levels of plasma ET-1 (14.0 vs 4.6 pg/ml in the first trimester, 14.0 vs 4.8 pg/ml in the second trimester and 15.8 vs 7.2 pg/ml in the third trimester) compared with those without diabetes. There were no significant differences in plasma ET-1 levels between women with diabetes who had pre-existing diabetic retinopathy and those without.
Conclusion This study has shown that ET-1 levels rise during normal pregnancy, and are higher in women with diabetes, which may reflect pre-existing endothelial damage. Although no association could be demonstrated between diabetic retinopathy and serum ET-1 levels, this may reflect the small sample size in this study.
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Best, R., Hayes, R., Chakravarthy, U. et al. Plasma levels of endothelin-1 in diabetic retinopathy in pregnancy. Eye 13, 179–182 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1999.47
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1999.47
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