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Peripartum changes in free and protein-bound digoxinlike immunoreactive factor
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
The appearance of free digoxinlike immunoreactive factor in pregnancy and its rapid disappearance after delivery is well documented. The protein-bound fraction, a common component of plasma, does not change during pregnancy. We investigated the peripartum changes in both free and protein-bound fractions of digoxinlike immunoreactive factor and observed different peripartum patterns of those fractions. While the disappearance of the free fraction after delivery was reconfirmed, the protein-bound fraction exhibited a biphasic pattern: a rapid decrease after delivery with a slow increase to predelivery levels seven weeks later. The disappearance of free digoxinlike immunoreactive factor after delivery may reflect the elimination of the fetal source. The changes in the protein-bound fraction imply that the fraction may also vary in certain clinical situations and may be produced in response to certain homeostatic changes and suggest a possible interaction between fetal and maternal systems that produce digoxinlike immunoreactive factor during pregnancy.
The appearance of free digoxinlike immunoreactive factor in pregnancy and its rapid disappearance after delivery is well documented. The protein-bound fraction, a common component of plasma, does not change during pregnancy. We investigated the peripartum changes in both free and protein-bound fractions of digoxinlike immunoreactive factor and observed different peripartum patterns of those fractions. While the disappearance of the free fraction after delivery was reconfirmed, the protein-bound fraction exhibited a biphasic pattern: a rapid decrease after delivery with a slow increase to predelivery levels seven weeks later. The disappearance of free digoxinlike immunoreactive factor after delivery may reflect the elimination of the fetal source. The changes in the protein-bound fraction imply that the fraction may also vary in certain clinical situations and may be produced in response to certain homeostatic changes and suggest a possible interaction between fetal and maternal systems that produce digoxinlike immunoreactive factor during pregnancy.