Pregnancy loss and autoantibodies against phospholipid-binding proteins

• Published in: Obstetrics and gynecology (New York. 1953) Vol. 89; no. 6; pp. 975 - 980
• Main Authors: Falcon, Cristina R., Martinuzzo, Marta E., Forastiero, Ricardo R., Cerrato, Graciela S., Carreras, Luis O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.06.1997; The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Abortion, Spontaneous - immunology; Adult; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid - blood; Autoantibodies - blood; beta 2-Glycoprotein I; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Proteins - immunology; Confidence Intervals; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Female; Glycoproteins - immunology; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin M - blood; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Prothrombin - immunology; Retrospective Studies; Human; Immunopathology; Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome; Pregnancy disorders; Autoantibody; Phospholipid; Cardiovascular disease; Autoimmune disease; Hemopathy; Vascular disease; Binding protein; Habitual abortion; Platelet; Immunological investigation; Risk factor; Female
• ISSN: 0029-7844; 1873-233X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0029-7844(97)00115-4

To evaluate the relationship between antibodies against β2-glycoprotein I or prothrombin and pregnancy losses in women with antiphospholipid antibodies. Women with antiphospholipid antibodies, (lupus anticoagulant and/or anticardiolipin antibodies), with (n = 41) and without (n = 61) a history of pregnancy loss were evaluated. Thirty-one out of the forty-one patients with pregnancy loss had early miscarriages (at less than 13 weeks) and ten patients had late miscarriages. Immunoglobulin (Ig)-G and IgM anti-β2-glycoprotein I and anti-prothrombin antibodies were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. A significant association between pregnancy loss and positive IgM anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies was found (odds ratio 2.6; 95% confidence interval 1.03, 6.6; P = .043). Women with late pregnancy loss had higher levels of both IgG and IgM anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies compared with controls (P < .05). There was a good correlation between anticardiolipin and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies levels (IgG: r = 0.75; IgM: r = 0.73). In contrast, there was no correlation between the levels of anticardiolipin or antiβ2-glycoprotein I antibodies and the levels of anti-prothrombin antibodies. Furthermore, the presence of antiprothrombin antibodies was not associated with a history of pregnancy loss. The result of our study shows that there is a relationship between the presence of IgM anti-β2-glycoprotein I and previous miscarriages in women with antiphospholipid antibodies.