Home Medicine Correlation of neonatal weight with maternal serum levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A during the first trimester of pregnancy: a retrospective study
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Correlation of neonatal weight with maternal serum levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A during the first trimester of pregnancy: a retrospective study

  • Ivana Giudice , Gianfranco Benintende , Anna Maria Di Nicolò , Daniela Mangiameli , Grazia Carrara , Claudia Randazzo , Irene Maria Sapuppo and Antonio Gulisano EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 18, 2014

Abstract

Aim: Evaluate the relationship between neonatal weight and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A.

Methods: Retrospective study on 2564 singleton pregnancies with healthy term neonates in three groups of women with different values of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A who underwent the combined test during the first trimester. Non-parametric test and correlation analysis for statistical elaboration were carried out.

Results: There exists a correlation between the serum levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A in the first trimester of pregnancy and neonatal weight. Values of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A lower than the 25th percentile are associated with neonatal weight in a significant way. There was no significant association between pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A values above 1.50 MoM and neonatal weight.

Conclusion: This study confirms the positive correlation between circulating concentrations of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and fetal growth. Low neonatal weight and factors that can cause this could be determined from the first trimester by measuring the concentrations of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A in maternal serum. Even if the association between the levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and a low neonatal weight has been demonstrated, however, we have to say that the sensitivity of a such screening method for the prediction of low birth weight and perinatal complications seems to be rather low. The variations of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A during the first trimester cannot be used as a marker of excessive fetal growth.


Corresponding author: Antonio Gulisano, U.O.C. Diagnosi prenatale e Genetica medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele, via del Plebiscito 628, 95124 Catania, Italia, E-mail:

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The authors stated that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Received: 2013-9-9
Accepted: 2014-5-23
Published Online: 2014-6-18
Published in Print: 2015-3-1

©2015 by De Gruyter

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