Effects of autoantibodies on the course of pregnancy and fetal growth.
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.
Iijima
T
T
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Tada
H
H
Hidaka
Y
Y
Mitsuda
N
N
Murata
Y
Y
Amino
N
N
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
D001323:Autoantibodies