BACKGROUND: Prediction of preeclampsia is of great interest and the coagulation system as well as the angiogenic pathway is known to be dysfunctional in preeclampsia. Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) is a protein interacting with both these biological systems and the purpose of this prospective, longitudinal cohort study was to analyze whether there is a difference in circulating levels of HRG during pregnancy in women developing preeclampsia compared to normal healthy pregnancies. We furthermore wanted to evaluate whether HRG has the potential of being an early biomarker of preeclampsia. METHODS: A cohort of healthy pregnant women (n = 469) was enrolled at gestational weeks 8-12. Plasma samples were collected at gestational weeks 10, 25, 28, 33, and 37 and analyzed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The levels of HRG decreased during pregnancy in all women, but the levels were significantly lower at gestational weeks 10, 25, and 28 in women who later developed preeclampsia than in normal pregnant women (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, and P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data indicates that HRG levels in plasma might be a possible biomarker already in gestational week 10 for prediction of later onset of preeclampsia in a low risk population.
