Maternal and paternal thrombophilia: risk factors for perinatal mortality

Although some paternal components to the predisposition to pre-eclampsia have been demonstrated recently, it is not known whether such paternal factors play a role to thrombophilia-related perinatal mortality.

To compare the paternal and maternal contribution to perinatal mortality.

Data from a prospective registry of perinatal mortality in a Dutch healthcare region were used. Between December 1999 and May 2000, the prevalence of thrombophilia was studied in 74 women with a history of perinatal mortality (female cases) and 54 of their male partners (male cases). Seventy-one healthy unrelated women after uneventful pregnancies only and 66 of their male partners were used as controls.

Obstetric outpatient clinic in a regional hospital (Remierde Graaf Group, Deflt).

Presence of various coagulation abnormalities, hyperhomocysteinaemia and anticardiolipins was investigated.

The frequency of antithrombin deficiency (12% vs 0%), increased activated protein C (APC) resistance (32% vs 6%), total protein S deficiency (11% vs 1%) and elevated factor VIII:C activity (43% vs 17%) was significantly higher in female cases compared with controls. In male cases, the frequency of increased APC resistance was significantly higher compared with controls (22% vs 0%). In 30 of the 54 couples with a history of perinatal mortality, more than one thrombophilic abnormality was found (55%) compared with 10 of the 62 control couples (17%).

The risk of having thrombophilia is doubled in men who have fathered pregnancies which ended in perinatal death as well as in the mothers of such pregnancies.