title: High levels of peripheral blood NK cells in women suffering from recurrent spontaneous abortion are reverted from high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the levels of peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells in healthy women and recurrent aborters, and the effect of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs) on these levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 659 women were evaluated for NK cells by means of flow cytofluorimetry: 42 non-pregnant healthy women, 394 non-pregnant recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) women, 36 pregnant healthy women and 187 pregnant RSA women. Fifty-four of the pregnant RSA women were treated with IVIG; in 18 of them NK cells were measured immediately before and after the very first IVIG infusion (0.5 g/kg body weight).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood NK cell results were increased in RSA pregnant/non-pregnant women, and significantly reduced by IVIG, even after the very first infusion. In RSA pregnant women treated by means of IVIG therapy, 92.3% success rate was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High levels of NK cells are detected in women affected by RSA. IVIGs are capable of decreasing them with a short- and long-term efficacy, allowing having a very high success rate of pregnancies in RSA women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. roberto.perricone@uniroma2.it
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perricone
authors.forename: Gioia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Muzio
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perricone
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giacomelli
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Nardo
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Carolis
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D001723:Birth Rate; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous