Serum Lipids and Fatty Acid Composition of Serum Lecithin in the Non-Pregnant State in Patients with Previous Cholestasis of Pregnancy

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Abstract
Serum lipids and fatty acid composition of serum lecithin were studied 8-21 months after delivery in 20 non-pregnant women who during their latest pregnancy had presented signs of CP. These women were compared with normal non-pregnant women (n = 18) and with patients with cholestasis of pregnancy (CP) (n = 28). In the non-pregnant state women with previous cholestasis of pregnancy (CP) showed in serum lecithin a low relative content of palmitic (16:0) and linoleic (18:2) acids and a high portion of stearic acid (18:0). These findings indicate as a basic defect in CP, a reduction in liver lecithin synthesis via pathway I (Kennedy's pathway) in favour of an increased pathway II (Greenberg's pathway). These data further support the hypothesis of increased estrogen activity as an etiological factor in CP. The basic influence by pregnancy on serum lipids and serum lecithin fatty acid composition was the same in women with CP as in women with a normal pregnancy.