Evaluation of serum β-hCG and PAPP-A levels in pregnant women at risk of developing preeclampsia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM:

Preeclampsia remains a major problem of modern obstetrics with insufficiently elucidated etiology; early detection would diminish maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the serum values of β-hCG in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and PAPP-A values in the first trimester of pregnancy in pregnant women with risk factors for preeclampsia, in order to evaluate their relevance in the prediction of this disorder.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

We performed a prospective longitudinal study on 120 pregnant women divided into two groups according to the evolution of pregnancy: group I - 26 pregnant women who developed preeclampsia and group II - 94 pregnant women who did not develop preeclampsia and had a physiological evolution of pregnancy.

RESULTS:

Our results indicate the association between high β-hCG levels in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and the development of PE, β-hCG having the highest predictive power in the second trimester. We also obtained a positive association between low serum levels in PAPP-A in the first trimester and onset of PE. The predictive power of conjugated β-hCG and PAPP-A values in the first trimester of pregnancy was better that any other marker analyzed separately.

CONCLUSIONS:

Increased β-hCG levels in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and low PAPP-A levels in the second trimester of pregnancy are associated with a higher risk for PE, the study providing only a modest efficiency of the prediction capacity.

• Authors: Mihaela Daniela Oancea, Nicolae Costin, Daria Maria Pop, Razvan Ciortea, Dan Mihu
• Journal: Clujul medical (1957) (Clujul Med) Vol. 86 Issue 4 Pg. 347-51 ( 2013) ISSN: 1222-2119 [Print] Romania
• PMID: 26527976 (Publication Type: Journal Article)