title: Elevated second-trimester maternal serum inhibin A levels in Asian pregnancies with fetal down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities.
abstract: METHODS
  To evaluate second-trimester maternal serum inhibin A levels in Asian pregnancies with fetal Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inhibin A level was measured from the serum samples of 25 chromosomally abnormal pregnancies, including 15 cases of Down syndrome, 4 cases of trisomy 18, 1 case of trisomy 13, and 5 cases of sex chromosome aneuploidies (4 cases of 47,XXY and 1 case of 45,X) and in a cohort of 150 controls during the second trimester of pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The multiple of median levels of Down syndrome (1.74) and other chromosomally abnormal pregnancies (2.03) are significantly higher than that of normal pregnancies (p = 0.002 and p = 0.024, respectively). Only 3 of 15 (20%) Down syndrome cases had inhibin A levels at or above the 95th centile of the control values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inhibin A levels are raised in Asian women affected with fetal Down syndrome and sex chromosome abnormality. In spite of the poor discrepancy of inhibin A, it might be a potential marker for Down syndrome screening in Asians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan/ROC. jjhsu@ms6.hinet.net
authors.forename: Jenn-J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chi-H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Ching-C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: T'sang-T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000196:embryology; D002882:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13 / Q000235:genetics; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 / Q000235:genetics; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 / Q000235:genetics; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; C422362:inhibin A; D007265:Inhibins