Antiphospholipid syndrome as a cause of recurrent pregnancy loss

ABSTRACT

[1] To Study the effect of antiphospholipid syndrome [APS] on recurrent pregnancy loss [RPL] in relation to the trimester of gestation and pregnancy outcome. [2] To identify auto antibodies related to the APS, namely anticardiolipin [ACA], antiphoshatidyl serine [APA], lupus anticoagulant [LAC] and false positive- Venereal Diseases Research Laboratory test [FP-VDRL] response. This study included 72 patients with RPL and 30 apparently healthy multiparous women as a control. It was found that 21 [29 percent] patients had APS who were all AC A positive. Of these patients only one was also positive for LAC antibodies and three for APA. The FP-VDRL test was found to be significantly associated with APS, especially with the IgG group. The ACA concentrations [both of IgG and IgM] were significantly higher [P> 0.05] in patients than in the control. The ACA concentrations and prevalence were significantly higher in the primary losers than in the control, while total APA prevalence was higher [P>0.046] in the primary losers than the secondary one. Both ACA and LAC did not show significant differences in any of the three trimesters of pregnancy loss. It was found that APA was significantly effective on RPL during the first trimester [P>0.046]. Also, the FP-VDRL was significantly different when comparing first trimester losers with the third trimester pregnancy losers. The APS with ACA and/or LAC may carry risk of RPL. The presence of APA alone has no risk of RPL, but when associated with ACA may indicate a more complicated condition