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Is there an association between maternal ABO and rhesus blood groups and the first‐trimester serum markers free β‐hCG and PAPP‐A used for the detection of fetal aneuploidy?
Author(s) -
Cowans Nicholas J.,
Spencer Kevin
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.1625
Subject(s) - abo blood group system , pregnancy associated plasma protein a , medicine , obstetrics , aneuploidy , trisomy , fetus , first trimester , pregnancy , prenatal screening , second trimester , singleton , group b , gynecology , prenatal diagnosis , biology , genetics , chromosome , gene
Objectives To evaluate whether first‐trimester levels of PAPP‐A and serum free‐β‐human chorionic gonadotrophin (free β‐hCG) vary with maternal blood group and rhesus status and to assess whether this has implications for first‐trimester screening for chromosomal anomalies. Methods Blood group and rhesus status information was extracted from birth records for women undergoing first‐trimester screening. The birth records were combined with prenatal screening records by an in‐house developed record linkage software. In 2252 singleton pregnancies of normal obstetric outcome, the median weight‐corrected, ethnicity‐corrected and smoking‐corrected MoM were compared in the various blood groups, using t‐tests after log 10 transformation of the marker MoM against the whole study group. Results Only those women with a B rhesus positive blood group had statistically significant higher MoM levels of PAPP‐A (0.995 v 0.937). Conclusions A larger study is required to establish the validity of this increase in PAPP‐A in the B rhesus positive group. If this can be substantiated, the elevation in PAPP‐A in this group may require correction when screening for chromosomal anomalies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.