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Second-trimester maternal serum inhibin A concentration as an early marker for preeclampsia
J Aquilina1, A Barnett, O Thompson
1Homerton Hospital National Health Service Trust and St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary & Westfield College, United Kingdom.
Objective:
Maternal serum inhibin A concentration is elevated in established preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this relationship antedates the appearance of the classic signs of preeclampsia.
Study Design:
A retrospective analysis was performed on trisomy 21 screening data from 685 women at between 15 and 19 weeks' gestation. The main outcome measures were preeclampsia and small for gestational age (<5th percentile) infants.
Results:
Preeclampsia developed in 35 women (5.5%). Women with inhibin A concentration >2.0 multiples of the median were significantly more likely to acquire preeclampsia (P <.00001) and to be delivered of a small for gestational age infant (<5th percentile, P <.00001) than were women with inhibin A concentration
Conclusion:
Elevated maternal inhibin A concentration in the second trimester was strongly associated with a subsequent risk of preeclampsia. The potential role of second trimester inhibin A measurement in a screening strategy for preeclampsia needs to be investigated further.