Antinuclear autoantibodies in women with recurrent pregnancy loss.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the possibility that antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are involved in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL).


METHODS
Case-control study carried out on 294 women (194 cases and 100 controls) in two University hospitals. The presence, the serum titers and the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) patterns of ANA were determined in women with RPL and in control women.


RESULTS
Antinuclear antibodies at titers ≥ 1:80 were detected in 97 (50%) women with RPL and in 16 (16%) control women. Elevated ANA titers (≥1:180) were detected only in RPL women, whereas all control women had ANA titers no greater than 1:80. No differences could be detected in the IIF patterns between RPL and control women. No differences in ANA positivity could be detected according to the type (primary or secondary) or number (>2 versus ≥3) of losses.


CONCLUSIONS
ANA could be of some value in identifying women with RPL with potential, although still not fully defined, immune abnormalities.
Ticconi
Carlo
C
Section of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Department of Surgical Sciences, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. ticconi@med.uniroma2.it
Rotondi
Federica
F
Veglia
Manuela
M
Pietropolli
Adalgisa
A
Bernardini
Sergio
S
Ria
Francesco
F
Caruso
Alessandro
A
Di Simone
Nicoletta
N
D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy; D011247:Pregnancy
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear