Levels of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and platelet-activating factor in recurrent pregnancy loss patients

• Main Authors: Ayla Eser, Ilknur Inegol Gumus, Husamettin Erdamar, Ikbal Kaygusuz, Melahat Yildirim, Betul Usluogullari, Muzeyyen Duran Erdolu, Serap Aynur Simavli, Ramazan Yigitoglu, Nilgun Ozturk Turhan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-02-01
• Series: Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Subjects: abortion; habitual; carboxypeptidase B2; platelet activating factor; pregnancy
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455915002958

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with thrombosis that may contribute to recurrent pregnancy loss (habitual abortion), specifically differences in serum levels of platelet-activating factor and thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (carboxypeptidase B2) between women with a history of recurrent miscarriage and those with no recurrent miscarriage history. Materials and methods: A case-controlled, prospective study design was adopted to compare women with a history of two or more first-trimester miscarriages (n = 42) with those with no history of recurrent miscarriage (n = 36). Participants were recruited from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Turgut Ozal University Hospital. Platelet-activating factor and thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor levels in serum samples were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Platelet-activating factor levels were significantly (p = 0.018) higher in the recurrent miscarriage group. There was no difference in levels of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor expression between the groups. Conclusion: Platelet-activating factor is significantly higher in serum of patients with a history of recurrent miscarriage than in those without such a history, with potential implications for placental function and fetal growth, which could be relevant to miscarriage recurrence. Larger studies are indicated to further examine these findings.