MATERNAL ADIPOSITY AND SERUM VISFATIN LEVELS DURING FIRST TRIMESTER AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN WITH PREECLAMPSIA.

Background:Visfatin is produced in the adipose tissue and has glucose lowering effects; however during pregnancy the placenta produces more visfatin which has been reported to increase in insulin resistant states such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity and thus vistafin levels has invariably been linked to preeclampsia. Several studies have however provided conflicting results about the role of visfatin in preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to determine whether serum visfatin concentration and body fat are significantly altered during the first trimester in pregnancies and whether such changes can leadto the development of PE. Methods:This work involved participants who were purposively selected for a longitudinal study,consisting of 314 pregnant womenwith pregnancy complications attending antenatal visit between 11 and 13 weeks of gestation at the Volta Regional Hospital, Ho, Ghana. Maternal serum visfatin levels and body fat percent were measured between 11 and 13 weeks of gestation. First trimester Body mass index (BMI) and lipid profile of all participants were also determined. Results:- First trimester serum visfatin level (ng mL-1), BMI (Kg/M2) and body fat were significantly higher in those who developed PE than those who did not, while the TG (mmol L-1), TCHOL (mmol L-1), LDL (mmol L-1), HDL (mmol L-1) and VLDL (mmol L-1) did not show any significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion:- Visfatin levels increased significantly during the first trimester of pregnancy in women with PE and in women with higher fat percentage than those with normotensive pregnancies and women with less fat percentage. Hypervisfatinaemiais possibly an earlier event in the pathogenesis and potentially precedes preeclampsia.