Pregnancy loss and autoantibodies against phospholipid-binding proteins.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between antibodies against beta 2-glycoprotein I or prothrombin and pregnancy losses in women with antiphospholipid antibodies.


METHODS
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-beta 2-glycoprotein I and anti-prothrombin antibodies were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.


RESULTS
A significant association between pregnancy loss and positive IgM anti-beta 2-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-beta 2-glycoprotein I antibodies compared with controls (P < .05). There was a good correlation between anticardiolipin and anti-beta 2-glycoprotein I antibodies levels (IgG: r = 0.75; IgM: r = 0.73). In contrast, there was no correlation between the levels of anticardiolipin or anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies and the levels of anti-prothrombin antibodies. Furthermore, the presence of anti-prothrombin antibodies was not associated with a history of pregnancy loss.


CONCLUSIONS
The result of our study shows that there is a relationship between the presence of IgM anti-beta 2-glycoprotein I and previous miscarriages in women with anti-phospholipid antibodies.
Falcón
C R
CR
Department of Hematology, Favaloro Foundation, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Martinuzzo
M E
ME
Forastiero
R R
RR
Cerrato
G S
GS
Carreras
L O
LO
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D000328:Adult; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid / Q000097:blood; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000276:immunology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I
D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001798:Blood Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I; D011516:Prothrombin