Severe pregnancy complications are associated with elevated factor VIII plasma activity.
The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of elevated factor VIII activity among women with severe complications of pregnancy. The study group included 49 patients with a previous history of pregnancy complications: severe preeclampsia (n = 9); intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) (n = 9); severe intrauterine fetal growth restriction (IUGR) (n = 12); IUGR and preeclampsia (n = 7); preeclampsia and placental abruption (n = 2); IUFD and IUGR (n = 5); and abruptio placenta (n = 5). The control group included 49 healthy women who had had at least one normal pregnancy. Seventeen women of the study group (34.6%) had elevated factor VIII activity compared to one woman (2.1%) in the control group (P < 0.05). The mean level of factor VIII was 159 ± 52% and 88 ± 17.4% of normal activity (mean  ±  SD, t-test, P < 0.05). Importantly, 10 women of the study group (20.4%) had only elevated factor VIII activity with no other known thrombophilia compared to one woman (2.1%) in the control group (P < 0.05). Elevated plasma activity of factor VIII might be a risk factor for severe pregnancy complications.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel. rimoneli@yahoo.com
Eli
E
Rimon
Jessica
J
Ascher-Landsberg
Noga
N
Carmi
Ariel
A
Many
Varda
V
Deutsch
Michael J
MJ
Kupferminc
D000037:Abruptio Placentae / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D050497:Stillbirth; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications
D005169:Factor VIII