Anti-phospholipid antibodies in women presenting with preterm delivery because of preeclampsia or placental insufficiency

Abstract

Objective: To assess the proportion of women presenting with preterm delivery because of preeclampsia or placental insufficiency (PREPI) with anti-phospholipid antibodies (APLA). Material and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study conducted at an obstetrics and gynecology department. Women, aged 20-40 years, with preeclampsia who delivered before 34 weeks were cases while those who delivered before 34 weeks but did not have preeclampsia acted as controls. Both groups had APLA measured at diagnosis and 12-weeks postnatally. Anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) was diagnosed according to Sapporo’s criteria. Results: The study included 98 cases and 106 controls. Both cases and controls were similar in terms of age, gestational age and parity. The frequency of APS positivity was 17.3% in cases but only 3.8% in controls (p=0.001). Cases were more likely to be of Baloch ethnicity (34.7% vs. 11.3%, p=0.001), have a history of miscarriage (25.5% vs. 13.2%, p=0.026), use aspirin (p