title: Immune profiling in patients with recurrent miscarriage.
abstract: The central role of the maternal immune system for successful and disturbed pregnancies such as recurrent miscarriage (RM) is apparent. Recent studies have increased understanding of the complex interaction of the different immunological players and the adaptation of the maternal immune system to the semi-allogeneic embryo. There is growing evidence for immunological abnormalities in RM patients, including autoimmune and allogeneic factors. However, the question remains unsolved whether these changes represent the cause or the consequence of RM. As in half of the RM patients the underlying mechanism remains unknown, further diagnostic methods are urgently needed. Within this review we summarize (recent) literature on the immunological diagnosis in RM patients to find out current trends and to identify potential targets of therapy. As the exact mechanisms of feto-maternal tolerance have not yet been determined we suggest that the immunological diagnosis should be implemented only in well-designed clinical trials in specialized centers to establish a standardized immunological work-up in RM patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Heidelberg, INF 440, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: Ruben.Kuon@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kuon
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Fertility Disorders, University Hospital Heidelberg, INF 440, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Strowitzki
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Heidelberg, INF 440, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplantation-Immunology, Institute of Immunology, University of Heidelberg, INF 305, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Fertility Disorders, University Hospital Heidelberg, INF 440, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Toth
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007159:Immunologic Tests / Q000639:trends*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D011247:Pregnancy
keywords: Cytokines; Immunological diagnosis; NK cells; Recurrent miscarriage