Psychosocial factors regulating natural-killer cell activity in recurrent spontaneous abortions.
OBJECTIVE
The preconceptional natural-killer cell (NK) activity predicts subsequent miscarriage among women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Psycho-neuro-immuno-endocrine network has recently been proposed as a mechanism for abortions. We therefore examined which psychosocial factors influenced the NK activity among women with RSA.


METHODS
We measured the preconceptional NK activity of 61 women with a history two consecutive unexplained first-trimester miscarriages and no live births. We also administered semi-structured interviews and a battery of self-report questionnaires to assess their social support, personality, self-esteem and psychiatric symptoms.


RESULTS
The preconceptional NK activity was negatively correlated with the women's neuroticism personality trait (r= -0.32, P = 0.01) and current depressive symptoms (r = -0.26, P= 0.05), and positively correlated with their self-esteem (r = 0.34, P = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to several substances such as transforming-growth-factor beta and granulocyte-macrophase colony-stimulating factor, we found that low neuroticism, low depression scale score and high self-esteem contributed to high NK activity among women with RSA.
Hori
S
S
Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya, Japan.
Nakano
Y
Y
Furukawa
T A
TA
Ogasawara
M
M
Katano
K
K
Aoki
K
K
Kitamura
T
T
D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology; D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*