Second-trimester maternal serum immunoreactive inhibin as a marker for fetal Down's syndrome.
We measured immunoreactive inhibin in the maternal serum of 80 pregnancies with a chromosomally normal fetus and ten Down's syndrome pregnancies in the second trimester. The inhibin level in all Down's syndrome pregnancies was above the normal median; the multiple of the normal median (MoM) was 1.9. We found a statistically significant difference between the levels of inhibin in unaffected and affected pregnancies (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test: p < 0.002). Using an arbitrarily chosen cut-off of 2.4 MoM, 40 per cent of Down's syndrome and 5 per cent of the normal pregnancies were found. We conclude that immunoreactive inhibin may be useful as a marker for fetal Down's syndrome.
Van Lith
J M
JM
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
Pratt
J J
JJ
Beekhuis
J R
JR
Mantingh
A
A
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007265:Inhibins / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D007265:Inhibins