[Metabolic status of selenium in pregnant women from a risk group of developing late toxemia].

A decrease in activity of Na+, K(+)-ATPase, estimated in erythrocytes of women at the second half of pregnancy, served as a criterion in screening of the risk group tended to development of late toxicoses. In the risk group of women with pregnancy activity of glutathione peroxidase and content of selenium were studied in blood, simultaneously with estimation of osmotic resistance of erythrocytes. A decrease in activity of Na+, K(+)-ATPase was shown to be a reliable prognostic criterion in pregnant women with tendency to late toxicoses. At the same time, a decrease in glutathione peroxidase activity should be used as a distinct prognostic pattern only if content of selenium was as low as 95 pg/ml in blood of women with pregnancy. Alimentary and metabolic deficiency of selenium appears to be responsible for limitation of the glutathione peroxidase activity at the preclinical step of late toxicosis development.