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Clinical Research

Impact of obesity on angiogenic and inflammatory markers in the Finnish Genetics of Pre-eclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) cohort

International Journal of Obesity volume 43, pages 1070–1081 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background

While several studies have demonstrated that obesity increases the risk of pre-eclampsia (PE), the mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. We assessed the association between maternal/paternal obesity and PE and hypothesized that maternal body mass index (BMI) would be associated with an adverse inflammatory and angiogenic profile. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and following serum angiogenic markers were determined: soluble endoglin (sEng), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF).

Methods

Data on BMI were available from 1450 pregnant women with PE and 1065 without PE. Serum concentrations of hs-CRP and angiogenic markers were available from a subset at first and third trimesters.

Results

Prepregnancy BMI was higher in the PE group than in controls (mean ± SD) 25.3 ± 5.2 vs. 24.1 ± 4,4, p < 0.001, adjusted for parity, mother’s age, and smoking status before pregnancy. Increased hs-CRP concentrations were observed in both PE and non-PE women similarly according to BMI category. In women with PE, a higher BMI was associated with lower sFlt-1 and sEng concentrations throughout the pregnancy (p = 0.004, p = 0.008, respectively). There were no differences in PlGF in PE women according to BMI.

Conclusions

We confirmed increased pre-pregnancy BMI in women with PE. Enhanced inflammatory state was confirmed in all women with overweight/obesity. Partly paradoxically we observed that PE women with obesity had less disturbed levels of angiogenic markers than normal weight women with PE. This should be taken into account when angiogenic markers are used in PE prediction.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the expert technical assistance of Eija Kortelainen and Susanna Mehtälä and contribution of the members and assisting personnel of the FINNPEC Study Group.

Funding

Funding was received from the Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility Area of Helsinki University Hospital, Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, Academy of Finland (grants 121196, 134957, and 278941), Research Funds of the University of Helsinki, Finnish Medical Foundation, Finska Läkaresällskapet, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Finnish Foundation for Pediatric Research, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, and Sigrid Jusélius Foundation.

The FINNPEC core investigator group:

Hannele Laivuori2,7,8,9, Seppo Heinonen2, Eero Kajantie10,11,12, Juha Kere13,14,15, Katja Kivinen16, Anneli Pouta13,17

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    Tiina Jääskeläinen

  2. Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    Seppo Heinonen, Hannele Laivuori, Hannele Laivuori & Seppo Heinonen

  3. Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Esa Hämäläinen

  4. VITA Healthcare Services Ltd., Helsinki, Finland

    Esa Hämäläinen

  5. Eastern Finland Laboratory Centre, Kuopio, Finland

    Kari Pulkki & Jarkko Romppanen

  6. Laboratory Division, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

    Kari Pulkki

  7. Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Hannele Laivuori

  8. Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland

    Hannele Laivuori

  9. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland

    Hannele Laivuori

  10. Chronic Disease Prevention Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

    Eero Kajantie

  11. Children’s Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Eero Kajantie

  12. PEDEGO Research Unit, MRC Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Eero Kajantie

  13. Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, and Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Juha Kere & Anneli Pouta

  14. Molecular Neurology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Juha Kere

  15. Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Helsinki, Finland

    Juha Kere

  16. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Katja Kivinen

  17. Department of Government Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

    Anneli Pouta

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  1. Tiina Jääskeläinen
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for the FINNPEC

  • Hannele Laivuori
  • , Seppo Heinonen
  • , Eero Kajantie
  • , Juha Kere
  • , Katja Kivinen
  •  & Anneli Pouta

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Correspondence to Tiina Jääskeläinen.

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Jääskeläinen, T., Heinonen, S., Hämäläinen, E. et al. Impact of obesity on angiogenic and inflammatory markers in the Finnish Genetics of Pre-eclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) cohort. Int J Obes 43, 1070–1081 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0217-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0217-8

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