The value of prenatal indicators in predicting adverse fetal outcomes in patients with ICP

Jiahong Jiang1, Jun Zhou1, Litao Zhang1

  • 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Insights

Cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) patients with higher cholyglycine (CG) and lower fibrinogen (FIB) levels face increased risks of adverse fetal outcomes. These key laboratory markers can predict pregnancy complications in ICP.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Clinical Chemistry

Background:

  • Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a serious condition affecting fetal well-being.
  • Identifying reliable predictors of adverse fetal outcomes in ICP is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate specific laboratory markers in maternal blood that can predict adverse fetal pregnancy outcomes in patients diagnosed with ICP.
  • To evaluate the association between prenatal laboratory indicators and adverse neonatal outcomes in ICP.

Main Methods:

  • An observational case-control study involving 117 ICP patients and 100 controls.
  • Collected and analyzed maternal antenatal laboratory markers, including liver enzymes, bilirubin, bile acids, and coagulation parameters.
  • Utilized descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression to identify significant predictors of adverse fetal outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Several laboratory markers, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bile acids (TBA), cholyglycine (CG), prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), differed significantly between ICP patients and controls.
  • In ICP patients, elevated TBA, CG, and direct bilirubin (DB), along with lower fibrinogen (FIB) levels, were associated with adverse fetal outcomes.
  • Multivariate logistic regression identified CG (OR=1.06) and FIB (OR=0.54) as independent predictors of adverse fetal outcomes in ICP.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal cholyglycine (CG) and fibrinogen (FIB) levels are independently associated with adverse fetal outcomes in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).
  • These markers may serve as valuable tools for risk stratification and management of ICP pregnancies.