title: [Free alpha hCG--a serum marker for pregnancy-induced hypertension]
abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the free alpha subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (FalphahCG) as a marker for pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). METHODS: The study group consisted of 74 pregnant women with hypertension. PIH admitted at 21-43 weeks of gestation. The control group was 37 non-PIH women. Serum FalphahCG was measured by radioimmunoassay with monoclonal technology. Using Youden's index of the receiver operator characteristic curve(ROC), a threshold value was determined. RESULTS: FalphahCG levels in PIH women were significantly higher than in the control group women [(556+/-428)IU/L compared with (232+/-131)IU/L,P<0.001].Using 260 IU/L of FalphahCG as the threshold value yields a sensitivity of 81.1% and specificity of 75.7% with a Youden's index of 0.57 for predicting PIH. CONCLUSION: Serum FalphahCG may serve as a useful marker to predict PIH.
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, College of Medical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Nu
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Fu-Zhen
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie