PLASMA PROTEINS IN TOXEMIAS OF PREGNANCY

Abstract

Electro-phoretic detns. were made of the plasma protein in the blood of women. Means and ranges are presented for total protein, albumin, and alpha1, alpha2, beta, gamma, and phi globulins in plasma samples obtained prepartum, at delivery, and postpartum from 29 women who had mild eclampsia, severe eclampsia, or eclampsia before delivery. The results stress the need for detns. at narrower and more sharply defined intervals prepartum and postpartum for larger groups of patients carefully grouped according to diagnostic criteria and according to the severity of clinical symptoms. Detns. of plasma proteins for non-pregnant women and for normal pregnant women and patients with toxemia at intervals of a few days and six to 12 weeks postpartum show that normal non-pregnant levels of plasma proteins are not achieved for several weeks after delivery and detns. as early as ten days or two weeks postpartum do not provide adequate "control" data.