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[The role of maternal imunity and woman´s microbiome in the pathogenesis of preterm labor]
Objective:
To summarize available data concerning the role of maternal imunity and woman´s microbiome in the pathogenesis of preterm labor and their use in clinical practice.
Setting:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology od the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, and General Teaching Hospital.
Design:
Review article.
Methods:
Compilation od published data from scientific literature.
Conclusion:
Preterm labor complicates approximately 10% of all pregnancies and represents a serious medical, social and economic problem. In the past, a lot of causes of preterm labor were discussed; infection, uteroplacental ischemia, decidual hemorrhage, uterine overdistension, cervical disease and maternal-fetal tolerance disorder were considered the most common. However, chronic inflammation seems to be the common pathogenic process underlying preterm labor, irrespective of the original stimulus. Currently, impaired maternal-fetal immunological tolerance represents most discussed topic. Growing scientific evidence suggests that the immune regulation of the maternal-fetal interface is the result of the coordinated interaction among maternal microbiota, trophoblast and maternal cellular components. From this view we understand preterm labor as a result of disruption of this process.
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