The relationship between autoantibodies and intrauterine growth retardation in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Article Abstract:

Abnormalities in the immune system may contribute to the development of hypertension, or abnormally high blood pressure, during pregnancy. Studies have suggested that preeclampsia-eclampsia, a pregnancy-related hypertensive disorder, may be associated with autoimmunity, an abnormal immune condition in which immune factors and cells attack the body's own tissues. Antibodies, or immune proteins, directed against fetal membranes, and other cells and tissues have been identified. Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR; delayed growth of the fetus) has been correlated with the severity of pregnancy-related hypertension, and is also increased in the fetuses of women with certain autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (an inflammatory disease of connective tissue). IUGR associated with pregnancy-related hypertension may be related to the production of autoantibodies, which are abnormal immune proteins directed against the body's tissues. The activity of B-lymphocytes, immune cells that produce antibodies, and its relation to IUGR was assessed in 50 pregnant women with normal blood pressures, 19 patients with preeclampsia, and 18 pregnant women with chronic hypertension. The number of autoantibody abnormalities was higher in mothers of fetuses with IUGR, compared with mothers of fetuses without IUGR. The most common autoantibodies were those directed against phospholipids; immunoglobulin G was the most common type of immune protein. These findings suggest that there is a relation between B-lymphocyte activity, the severity of hypertensive disease during pregnancy, and the development of IUGR. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Fetus, Physiological aspects, Immunoglobulins, Fetal growth retardation, Preeclampsia, Pregnancy, Complications of, Pregnancy complications, Hypertension in pregnancy, Gestational hypertension

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Reproductive failure because of autoantibodies: Unexplained infertility and pregnancy wastage

Article Abstract:

Autoantibodies, immune system chemicals that act to destroy normal body tissues, have been found in the blood of some infertile women. Endometriosis, a condition where cells normally found lining the uterus are found elsewhere in the abdomen, is a cause of infertility. The inability of the fetus to implant in the uterus results in a failed pregnancy. The autoantibodies, which can be detected as an abnormality in certain cells (B cells) in the blood, were measured in 26 women with endometriosis and in 26 women using in vitro fertilization, where fertilization occurs outside the body and reintroduced into the uterus. Lower rates of successful conception in these in vitro fertilization trials were probably due to the presence of autoantibodies. The presence of the antibody was found not to be a result of the endometriosis itself, but was rather caused by infertility and pregnancy wastage. The question of an immunologic defect is raised and the term Reproductive Autoimmune Failure Syndrome is coined.

Analysis, Evaluation, Diagnosis, Endometriosis, Fertilization in vitro, Human, Human fertilization in vitro, Infertility

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Autoantibodies and pregnancy history in a healthy population

Article Abstract:

Autoantibodies were present in 24.4% of 201 healthy Hutterite adults tested. Autoantibodies are antibodies produced by the body's immune system against a normal constituent of that person's body. The Hutterites are Anabaptists who live communally and practice monogamy. They do not use contraception and have a high fertility rate. Blood samples were analyzed for the presence of a variety of autoantibodies including immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin A (IgA). IgA autoantibodies were the most common antibodies detected. Their presence was not correlated with sex, age, or marital status. IgG was present in 7% of those tested and IgM was present in 6%. IgG antibodies were found in married women but not in unmarried women. IgM antibodies were lower in married women than in unmarried women. Pregnancy or fetal loss was not associated with an increase in antibodies.

Health aspects, Hutterian Brethren

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