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Gamma Glutamyl Transpeptidase in Normal Pregnancy

From the Departments of Internal Medicine, Pathology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, Dallas, Texas.
Address reprint requests to Burton Combes, MD University of Texas Southwestern Medical School 5323 Harry Hines Blvd Dallas, TX 75235

Serum activity of gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) was measured throughout normal gestation. The GGT values during pregnancy, labor, and the early postpartum period remained within the range found in normal non-pregnant women, and GGT activity was demonstrated in normal placenta. Cord blood had much higher GGT activity than maternal blood. Scrum GGT activity is known to increase like that of alkaline phosphatasc (ALP) and leucine amino peptidase (LAP) in patients with various liver diseases. Increased scrum activity of ALP and LAP in normal pregnancy compromises the diagnostic usefulness of these enzymes in the gravid state. By contrast, the observation that serum GGT docs not change in pregnancy suggests that it may be of value in the evaluation of intrapartum hepatic and biliary tract disease.