Anticardiolipin antibody in women with recurrent spontaneous miscarriage
Jwad, I.M.; Mahdi, N.K.; Flafil, M.S.
Saudi Medical Journal 27(9): 1387-1390
2006
ISSN/ISBN: 0379-5284 PMID: 16951778 Document Number: 599993
Objectives: To determine the association between the presence of anticardiolipin antibody (ACA) and history of recurrent spontaneous miscarriage. Also, to evaluate the association between raised ACA and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT).Methods: This is a case-control study which was carried out in Basrah Hospital for Maternity and Children, Basrah, Iraq during January to September 2004 on 91 women with recurrent spontaneous miscarriage, matched with I women with no history of pregnancy wastage. Sera were collected from these 200 women and analyzed for ACA by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: In women with pregnancies that ended with a loss, 17.6% were positive of ACA, compared with none among the control group. Women with 4 or more miscarriages had almost higher percentages of ACA (26.3% and 22.2%) than women with only 3 miscarriages (13%) but with no statistical significance. Prolonged APTT was detected among 18.8% of patients having positive ACA while only 1.6% of patients who were negative for this antibody.Conclusions: A significant association was observed between recurrent spontaneous miscarriage and the presence of ACA. Also, there was a significant relationship between positive ACA and prolonged APTT.