@article {ImpeyF170, author = {L Impey and C Greenwood and O Sheil and K MacQuillan and M Reynolds and C Redman}, title = {The relation between pre-eclampsia at term and neonatal encephalopathy}, volume = {85}, number = {3}, pages = {F170--F172}, year = {2001}, doi = {10.1136/fn.85.3.F170}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group}, abstract = {OBJECTIVES To determine whether pre-eclampsia, hypothesised to be an inflammatory condition, is associated with fever in term labour, and confirm and examine the reported association of pre-eclampsia at term with neonatal encephalopathy.DESIGN Prospective cohort study.SETTING A Dublin teaching hospital.PARTICIPANTS 6163 women in labour with singleton pregnancies at term at low risk for intrapartum hypoxia, recruited to a randomised trial examining the effect of admission cardiotocography on neonatal outcome.RESULTS Pre-eclampsia was associated with maternal fever \> 37.5{\textdegree} in labour (odds ratio (OR) 3.39, 95\% confidence interval (CI) 2.1 to 5.4); this was independent of obstetric intervention (adjusted OR 2.07, 95\% CI 1.24 to 3.47). Pre-eclampsia was associated with neonatal encephalopathy (OR 25.5, 95\% CI 8.4 to 74.7); this too was independent of obstetric intervention (adjusted OR 18.5, 95\% CI 5.9 to 58.1). Cord arterial pH values were significantly lower in pre-eclamptics (7.20v 7.24), although severe cord acidaemia was not significantly more common (OR 2.91, 95\% CI 0.7 to 9.9). The association of pre-eclampsia with encephalopathy was independent of maternal fever (adjusted OR 16.5, 95\% CI 5.1 to 54) and cord acidaemia (adjusted OR 13.5, 95\% CI 3.2 to 56.7).CONCLUSIONS The association of pre-eclampsia with maternal fever at term supports the hypothesis that pre-eclampsia is an inflammatory condition. The association of pre-eclampsia with neonatal encephalopathy is independent of obstetric intervention and cannot be explained by either acidaemia or maternal fever. A systemic inflammatory response in the fetus, perhaps secondary to oxidative stress, could explain the link between maternal pre-eclampsia and neonatal encephalopathy, and this may occur through cerebral vasoconstriction.}, issn = {1359-2998}, URL = {https://fn.bmj.com/content/85/3/F170}, eprint = {https://fn.bmj.com/content/85/3/F170.full.pdf}, journal = {Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition} }