title: Maternal serum PAPP-A as an early marker of obstetric complications?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate whether low first-trimester PAPP-A levels are associated with an adverse pregnancy outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective case-control study was carried out using a Down's syndrome assays database over a 6-year period, between the 8th and 11th week of pregnancy. There were 164 women with PAPP-A multiples of median (MoM) levels <0.3 and 1,640 women with PAPP-A MoM levels ≥0.3 who served as a control group. Outcome measures were the prevalence of miscarriages, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, pre-term delivery, gestational diabetes and intrauterine growth retardation in both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two groups significantly differed only for miscarriages: 29 (17.7%) vs. 159 (9.7%), p = 0.04, OR 1.7; gestational hypertension: 15 (9.1%) vs. 74 (4.5%), p = 0.02, OR 2.1, and preeclampsia: 9 (5.5%) vs. 29 (1.8%), p = 0.02, OR 2.5.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even if in this study the PAPP-A cutoff considered was lower and was assayed in an earlier period compared with other studies, the detection rate for adverse pregnancy outcomes did not improve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology, Microbiology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Tommasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Quattrocchi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baviera
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pochiero
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Basile
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santamaria
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Corrado
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: D'Anna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A