title: Effects of autoantibodies on the course of pregnancy and fetal growth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effects of autoantibodies on the course of pregnancy and fetal growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand one hundred seventy-nine healthy women with singleton gestations were screened in early pregnancy for seven kinds of autoantibodies: antithyroid microsomal antibody, antithyroglobulin antibody, two kinds of rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, anti-DNA antibody, and antimitochondrial antibody.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 228 cases (19.3%), at least one autoantibody was found; however, overlap of autoantibodies in the same individual was unexpectedly rare, and only two cases were positive for as many as four autoantibodies. A significantly higher rate of spontaneous abortion was observed in antibody-positive subjects, especially those with antithyroid microsomal (10.4%) or antinuclear antibodies (16.0%), compared with all antibody-negative subjects (5.5%). There were no significant differences in any outcome assessed among subjects positive for antithyroglobulin antibody, anti-DNA antibody, or antimitochondrial antibody compared with all antibody-negative subjects. None of the seven autoantibodies affected the rates of preterm delivery, stillbirth, pregnancy-induced hypertension, malformation, or gender ratio.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Antithyroid microsomal antibody and antinuclear antibody are the only autoantibodies that increase the abortion rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hidaka
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mitsuda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies