| Abstract | OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness between total human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and free beta-hCG in two-marker Down syndrome screening programs during the second trimester in a Taiwanese population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From a multicenter collaborative study, we investigated the second-trimester maternal serum levels of total hCG from 67 data, free beta-hCG from 72 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) from 96 obtained from Taiwanese pregnant women carrying fetuses with Down syndrome. RESULTS: High total hCG and free beta-hCG, as well as low AFP levels, were found with median values of 2.06, 2.49 and 0.77 multiples of the median (MoM), respectively. At a 5% false-positive rate, total hCG and free beta-hCG could detect 31% and 43% of Down syndrome pregnancies, respectively, whilst AFP alone could detect only 15% of affected cases. When combined with maternal age-specific risk, total hCG could achieve a 52% detection rate, free beta-hCG a 54% and AFP a 39%. Combined total hCG and AFP achieved a detection rate of 55%, and combined free beta-hCG and AFP achieved a rate of 60%. CONCLUSION: The measurement of free beta-hCG is more beneficial than total hCG in serum screening for Down syndrome during the second trimester of pregnancy. |
| Authors | Tsang-Tang Hsieh, Jenn-Jeih Hsu, Po-Jen Cheng, Chien-Nan Lee, Hei-Jen Jou, Chih-Ping Chen
(Affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.)
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| Journal | Taiwanese journal of obstetrics & gynecology
(Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol)
Vol. 46
Issue 3
Pg. 230-5
(Sep 2007)
ISSN: 1875-6263 China |
| PMID | 17962101
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study)
|
| Chemical References |
- AFP protein, human
- Chorionic Gonadotropin
- Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human
- alpha-Fetoproteins
|
| Topics |
- Adult
- Asian Continental Ancestry Group
- Chorionic Gonadotropin
(blood)
- Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human
(blood)
- Down Syndrome
(blood, diagnosis, ethnology)
- Female
- Humans
- Mass Screening
(methods)
- Predictive Value of Tests
- Pregnancy
- Prenatal Diagnosis
(methods)
- Retrospective Studies
- Taiwan
- alpha-Fetoproteins
(metabolism)
|
