Increased maternal serum placental growth hormone variant in pregnancies complicated by otosclerosis.

Abstract

To investigate the potential role of maternal serum concentrations of placental growth hormone variant (GH-V), insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1 and 2, and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP) 1 and 3 in pregnancies complicated by otosclerosis. Otosclerosis cases (n=22) and age, ethnicity-matched controls (n=22) were selected in a nested case-control study. Maternal serum hormone concentrations at 26 and 34weeks of gestation were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Concentrations of all measured hormones except IGFBP-1 were increased as gestation progressed. Maternal serum GH-V concentrations at 26 and 34weeks of gestation were significantly increased in the otosclerosis group, when compared to the control group (2.53±0.17ng/ml vs. 1.78±0.19ng/ml, P=0.036; 4.34±0.31ng/ml vs. 3.12±0.18ng/ml, P<0.001, respectively). Maternal serum IGF-1 concentrations at 34weeks in otosclerotic patients were significantly higher than in the controls (589.1±21.4ng/ml vs. 499.7±17.8ng/ml, P<0.001). The increase of IGF-1 was not observed at 26weeks of gestation. Serum IGF-2, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 at either 26 or 34weeks were unaltered between the two groups. Maternal serum concentrations of GH-V and IGF-1 were altered in pregnancy complicated by otosclerosis, suggesting that the GH-IGF axis may contribute to the development of this condition during pregnancy.