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Placental Isoferritin Levels in Pregnant Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and/or Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Author(s) -
Maymon R.,
Bar J.,
Sherman D.,
Moroz C.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
american journal of reproductive immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.071
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1600-0897
pISSN - 1046-7408
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0897.1998.tb00397.x
Subject(s) - medicine , antiphospholipid syndrome , pregnancy , obstetrics , venous blood , biomarker , placenta , fetus , systemic lupus erythematosus , gastroenterology , thrombosis , disease , biochemistry , chemistry , genetics , biology
PROBLEM: Low serum placental isoferritin (PLF), an immunosuppressive cytokine‐like protein, was found in women with underlying placento‐vascular dysfunction, such as intrauterine growth retardation and preeclamptic toxemia. The possible contribution of this placental product in the assessment of pregnant patients with either systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) was investigated. METHOD OF STUDY: Seventy‐five healthy pregnant women used as controls and 25 preselected pregnant patients with either SLE and/or APS were enrolled in the study. Study patients were in remission during conception and all patients agreed to give 5 ml of venous blood at midgestation. The samples were frozen and analyzed retrospectively. After delivery, pregnancy outcomes were gathered from hospital records. RESULTS: Seventeen (68%) women had uneventful pregnancies and deliveries (normal) whereas 8 (32%) showed pathologic obstetric outcomes. Mean midgestational serum PLF levels were similar in the control and normal outcome groups (87 U/ml), whereas significantly lower levels (37 U/ml) were measured in the pathologic outcome group. Using a cutoff level of 10 U/ml, 85% from the normal outcome group and 15% from the pathologic outcome group were above this threshold level, with 60% specificity and 100% sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that PLF values may reflect placento‐vascular functions. These may represent a predictive biomarker for developing obstetric complications in pregnant women with either SLE and/or APS.