title: Amniotic fluid erythropoietin levels in normal and Down's syndrome pregnancies.
abstract: The aim of this study was to measure the levels of erythropoietin in amniotic fluid from normal and trisomy 21 pregnancies at 10 to 20 weeks gestation. Samples of amniotic fluid were collected from 142 women with singleton pregnancies after genetic amniocentesis; 110 had a normal fetal karyotype and 32 had trisomy 21. Erythropoietin was measured using a double antibody radioimmunoassay. Amniotic fluid erythropoietin levels in normal pregnancies increased from 10 weeks (mean 3.2 mU/ml; range < 2.0-6.3 mU/ml) to 20 weeks gestation (mean 7.9 mU/ml; range 2.0-11.5 mU/ml). There was a significant linear correlation between gestational age and erythropoietin levels (r = 0.543; P < 0.0001). For the 32 patients with trisomy 21 pregnancies the median multiple of the median (MoM) was 1.11 (range 0.42-2.1). There was no difference between erythropoietin levels in amniotic fluid from normal and Down's syndrome pregnancies (U = 2352, P = 0.75, 95% CI = -0.11, 0.18); (Mann-Whitney U-test).
authors: Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, UK.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Campbell
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Wathen
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Lewis
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ind
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Chard
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D004314:Down Syndrome; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin