First trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein A and human chorionic gonadotropin-beta in early and late pre-eclampsia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and the β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCGβ) measured in maternal plasma at the first trimester screening, in women who later developed early or late pre-eclampsia (PE) to women with normal pregnancies. In the study were included 161 cases with PE and 88 controls with uncomplicated pregnancies. Plasma PAPP-A and hCGβ were measured between gestational age (GA) 8+2 and 14+0, and cases with early and late onset PE were compared with controls. Median of hCGβ (MoM) was lower in women with early (p<0.05) and late PE (p<0.05) compared to healthy pregnant women. Median (range) of hCGβ (MoM) for women with early onset PE, late onset PE, and women with healthy pregnancies, were 0.75 (0.30-1.21), 0.93 (0.26-3.18), and 0.97 (0.33-4.12), respectively. No significant difference in the median of PAPP-A (MoM) was found between the groups. hCGβ was significantly lower in pregnancies that subsequently developed PE and might be of use in the effort of trying to find ways to predict PE. No significant difference was found for PAPP-A in our study.