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Semin Thromb Hemost 2001; 27(2): 121-130
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-14070
Copyright © 2001 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel.: +1(212) 584-4662

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: Etiology of Thrombophilia

Hideto Yamada1 , Emi H. Kato1 , Gen Kobashi2 , Yasuhiko Ebina1 , Shigeki Shimada1 , Mamoru Morikawa1 , Takahiro Yamada1 , Noriaki Sakuragi1 , Seiichiro Fujimoto1
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan and
  • 2Department of Health for Senior Citizens, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
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Publication History

Publication Date:
31 December 2001 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Congenital and acquired thrombophilia are associated with an increased risk of pregnancy-associated venous thrombosis and fetal loss. Two hundred eighty-nine patients with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortion were subjected to screening examinations for the etiology of these abortions. Endocrine abnormality (28.0%), uterine abnormality (10.4%), autoimmune diseases (1.4%), antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (4.5%), and balanced type chromosome translocation (4.2%) were found as underlying causes of recurrent abortions, and the remaining 55.0% of the 289 patients were classified as having an unexplained etiology. Congenital thrombophilia such as protein C (PC) deficiency, protein S (PS) deficiency, antithrombin deficiency, and factor V Leiden mutation was not frequently detected; only one patient had PS deficiency. A reduced factor XII activity was found at a frequency of 4.2%. The frequency of methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene C677T mutation in recurrent aborters (0.38) was the same as that found in a fertile control group. Although the prevalence of anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibody (aβ2-GPI) syndrome was very low (1.7%), patients with a high titer of immunoglobulin G (IgG) class aβ2-GPI, despite anticoagulation therapy, experienced severe fetomaternal complications in subsequent pregnancies. The rate (13.8%) of positive tests for serum IgA class aβ2-GPI in patients with unexplained etiology was higher than that in the controls (0%) (P < .05). We conclude that congenital thrombophilia is rare in Japanese patients who had experienced consecutive spontaneous abortions.

KEYWORD

Thrombophilia - factor V Leiden mutation - methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase - antiphospholipid antibody - abortion

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