Relationship between gender of fetus and the EEG changes and the relation of these changes with some inflammatory biomarkers in preeclamptic pregnant females

Abstract

Background: The electroencephalograph records spontaneous electrical activity generated in the cerebral cortex. This activity reflects the electrical currents that flow in the extracellular spaces of the brain that are the summated effects of innumerable excitatory and inhibitory synaptic potentials upon cortical neurons. Preeclampsia is a disease of pregnancy characterized by a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or more on two separate occasions after 20th week of pregnancy in a previously normotensive woman. This is accompanied by significant proteinuria (>300 mg in 24 hours) (Philip, 2006). Subjects and methods: The study included 97 pregnant patients with a confirmed diagnosis of preeclampsia, also 72 females with normal pregnancy have been included as a control group. Their ages and gestational ages were consistent with that of the patients', EEG test and some serological tests including ICAM-1, RCRP and IL-6 was done for the participants. Results: There was a high percentage of EEG changes in the preeclamptic women whom fetus are males. There was a significant differences in the values of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) between preeclamptic women with male fetus and those with female one.