Preeclampsia is a syndrome characterized by occurrence of hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. The pathophysiology of preeclampsia involves abnormalities in the development of placental vasculature early in pregnancy may result in relative placental under perfusion/hypoxia/ischemia, which then leads to release of factors into the maternal circulation that alter maternal endothelial function and cause hypertension and other manifestations of disease .Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a signal protein produced by cells that stimulates vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. It is part of the system that restores the oxygen supply to tissues when blood circulation is inadequate. Human VEGF gene is located on chromosome 6 and consists of 8 exons with alternate splicing, forming a family of proteins. There are several common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the VEGF gene, which could alter gene expression and protein production, and alter the risk of developing diseases characterized by deranged angiogenesis including preeclampsia.
