Christine Nowotny

Increased serum activity of interleukin-2 in patients with pre-eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia is a severe complication in pregnancy, manifested by hypertension, proteinuria and oedema, and in the most severe cases leading to fetal death. Immunological mechanisms are generally assumed to be of major importance in the genesis of the disease. Foidart showed anti-laminin antibodies to be involved in preeclampsia. [ 11. Circulating immune complexes [2] and complement activation [3] as well as alterations in T-cell subsets [4] and suppressor activity [5] have also been observed, but still there remains much uncertainty about the pathophysiological mechanisms involved. IL-2 is an important cytokine in the T-cell pathway [6] as it is released by antigenstimulated T cells and enhances alloantigen reactivity by augmentation of cellular cytytoxic function. The question of whether increased cytokine release can be used as a diagnostic marker for an ongoing alteration of maternofetal immune response prompted us to study the serum activity of IL-2 in pregnant women suffering from pre-eclampsia.

A CASE OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION COMPLICATING PREGNANCY - A ROLE FOR PROSTACYCLIN SYNTHESIS STIMULATING PLASMA FACTOR AND LIPOPROTEIN (a) ?

Coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction (MI) is rarely seen in women below the age of 40 years and even more rarely during pregnancy. The first case of MI during pregnancy was described by Katz in 1992 (1). Current literature reviewed by Samara et al. 1989 (2) listed only 62 cases of proven MI during pregnancy or in the puerperium, the maternal mortality rate being as high as 24%. In this paper we are going to report on a 26-year old pregnant woman suffering from MI, probably as a result of a haemostatic imbalance caused by a lack of prostacyclin synthesis stimulating plasma factor (PF) and elevated lipoprotein (a) (Lp (a)). The potentially deleterious thromboembolic complications in patients with PF-deficiency, especially in combination with elevated Lp (a), should be carefully considered.