Fukushima J. Med. Sci.,
Vol. 49, No. 2, 2003

［Review Article］

PRE-ECLAMPSIA―STILL A DISEASE OF THEORIES

DIETMAR SCHLEMBACH

University of Texas Medical Branch, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive
Sciences, Galveston, Texas, USA and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg,
Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erlangen and Nuremberg Germany

(Received July 10, 2003, accepted September 19, 2003)

Abstract: Pre-eclampsia is still one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.　Despite active research for many decades, the etiology of this disorder exclusive to human pregnancy is an enigma. Recent evidence suggests there may be several underlying causes or predispositions leading to endothelial dysfunction and causing the signs of hypertension, proteinuria, and edema—findings that allow us to make the diagnosis of the "syndrome" of pre-eclampsia.　It is obvious that a single mechanism responsible for the syndrome pre-eclampsia does not exist.　Instead, several mechanisms can act together and even multiply each other.　The search for the underlying cause of this disorder and for a clinical marker to predict which women will develop pre-eclampsia is ongoing, with its prevention being the ultimate goal.

Key words: Pre-eclampsia, vascular factors, oxidative stress, genetics, angiogenesis

Correspondence to: Dietmar Schlembach, Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch 301 University Blvd., Rte J-62 Galveston, Texas 77555-1062 USA.
E-mail: dischlem@utmb.edu