Effectiveness of prednisolone/aspirin therapy for recurrent aborters with antiphospholipid antibody

Seventeen women with recurrent fetal loss associated with anti-phospholipid antibody were treated by prednisolone and low-dose aspirin (PSL/ASP) therapy from the early gestational period. The success rate of pregnancy in the treated patients was significantly higher than that in 12 untreated patients of similar background, including age, number of previous fetal losses and anti-cardiolipin titre (76.5 versus 8.3%, P less than 0.01). The degree of fetal growth retardation evident in previous pregnancies was also improved by the therapy, suggesting that PSL/ASP itself has a beneficial effect against placental damage. These clinical improvements were accompanied by a reduction in anti-phospholipid antibody titre, especially that of anti-phosphatidylserine antibody (anti-PS), to within the normal range within 8 weeks after PSL/ASP administration in most of the treated patients. There was no reduction of antibody titre in the untreated patients during pregnancy. It was concluded that PSL/ASP therapy, when started in the early gestational period (prior to 8 weeks gestation), was effective for the achievement of successful pregnancy and the prevention of fetal growth retardation and that the anti-PS titre was a good clinical marker for evaluating the effect of PSL/ASP therapy.