Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
The inclusion criteria were: 1. diagnose of PE by elevated blood pressure (Systolic pressure≥140mmHg or diastolic pressure≥90, and with proteinuria) after 20 weeks of gestational age according to the ACOG guidelines (2019); 2. diagnose with PE accompanied with fetal growth restriction (FGR); 3. Maternal age ranging from 18 to 45 years; 4. Gestational age ≥28 weeks. Moreover, severe PE was diagnosed as 1) systolic pressure≥160 mmHg or diastolic pressure≥110 mmHg, measured at least every 4 hours; 2) platelet count≤100*109/L; 3) abnormal liver function (elevated liver enzymes twice the upper limit) without other diseases; 4) renal dysfunction (Scr≥97.24 μmol/L) in the absence of other diseases; 5) pneumonedema; 6) new-onset headache without other diseases; 7) blurred vision19. FGR was defined as an infant birthweight below the 10thpercentile of the average of infants at the same gestational age. Patients without any complications during the perinatal period were eligible for enrolment in the normal group.
The exclusion criteria were as follows: 1. presence of other complications, such as gestational diabetes mellitus, chronic hypertension, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, and hyperthyroidism; 2. Preterm (gestational age less than 36+6 weeks) not caused by PE; 3. Pre-existing mental diseases, history of depression, or family depression; 4. Stillbirth or giving birth to a malformed fetus (including any minor anomalies).