Possible importance of immunoglobulin E in foetal loss by mothers with anti-SSA antibody.
OBJECTIVE
The incidence of foetal loss and/or adverse foetal outcomes, including congenital heart block (CHB), has been investigated in mothers with anti-SSA antibody detected by immunodiffusion or counter-immunoelectrophoresis methods. We investigated the relationship between several serum parameters (such as autoantibodies and immunoglobulins) and foetal loss in patients with anti-SSA antibody, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).


METHODS
Thirty-seven women who showed positivity for anti-SSA antibody and had a history of pregnancy were included in this study. Immunoglobulins and several autoantibodies were assayed by routine laboratory methods at our hospital.


RESULTS
Our data indicated that immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were significantly higher in the anti-SSA antibody positive women with foetal loss than in those without, and that a strong positive correlation between IgE and anti-SSA antibody levels was observed in the former group, but not in the latter.


CONCLUSIONS
The serum IgE level seems to be an important factor in the occurrence of foetal loss in mothers with anti-SSA antibody detected by ELISA.
Sekigawa
I
I
Department of Medicine, Juntendo University, Izu-Nagaoka Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan. isekigawa@mva.biglobe.ne.jp
Seta
N
N
Yamada
M
M
Iida
N
N
Hashimoto
H
H
Ogawa
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006327:Heart Block / Q000151:congenital* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D008423:Maternal Age; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; C035356:SS-A antibodies; D007073:Immunoglobulin E