RENAL LESIONS IN THE HYPERTENSIVE SYNDROMES OF PREGNANCY - IMMUNOMORPHOLOGICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDIES IN 114 CASES

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  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 13  (4) , 155-162
Abstract
Women (114) presenting during pregnancy with an abnormally high blood pressure and/or proteinuria had a renal biopsy usually on the 8th day following delivery. The pathological specimens were examined by light and/or electron and/or immunofluorescence microscopy. Forty-one cases were studied with all 3 techniques. The patients could be allocated to 6 groups on the basis of clinical criteria. The 1st two groups (52 patients) showed the typical clinical and pathological features of classical preeclampsia. The remaining 62 women (4 groups) had isolated hypertension, and, of these, 42 had a renal pathological pattern similar to that of preeclampsia. These 42 patients also had persistent hyperuricemia. In pregnancy, hypertension and persistently elevated uric acid levels are indicative of glomerular lesions of pregnancy induced nephropathy.