Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2000;22(4):217-223
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032000000400005
Purpose: to identify recurrent spontaneous abortion- associated factors. Subjects: one hundred seventy-five outpatients were investigated from March 1993 to March 1997 at the "Ambulatório de Aborto Recorrente CAISM/UNICAMP". All of them had had three or more consecutive spontaneous abortions and/or two abortions and were 35 years or more old. Methods: the investigation protocol included: couple's karyotype; hysterosalpingography, serial plasma progesterone levels and/or endometrial biopsy; toxoplasmosis, listeriosis, brucelosis, lues and cytomegalovirus serum tests; Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma hominis cultures of cervical discharge; TSH and thyroid hormone levels; fasting glucose; autoantibody panel, anti-HLA antibody search by microlymphocytotoxicity crossmatch and one-way mixed lymphocyte culture with inhibitor factor detection. Husband's evaluation included: physical evaluation, lues, Chagas' disease, B and C hepatitis and AIDS serum tests, microlymphocytotoxicity crossmatch and one-way mixed lymphocyte culture with inhibitor factor detection. Results: alloimmune etiology was the most frequently found factor (86.3% of studied patients), represented by negative crossmatch and one-way mixed lymphocyte culture with inhibitor factor below 50%. The second most frequently found factor was cervical incompetence (22.8%), followed by hormonal factor (21.2%), mainly represented by luteal insufficiency. Some patients were found to have more than one etiologic factor. Conclusion: the investigation of recurrent spontaneous abortion-associated factors must include alloimmune etiology. Most cases will remain unexplained without this investigation.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2004;26(8):619-624
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032004000800005
PURPOSE: to analyze the relationship of the imune system with preeclamptic pregnancies, comparing lymphocyte and lymphocyte subset analyses of normal pregnant women to pregnancy-induced hypertensive women. To evaluate this immunological function, 40 pregnant women were studied at the "Irmandade da Santa Casa Hospital" of São Paulo: 20 women with normal pregnancies and 20 women with pregnancy-induced hypertension. From all these pregnant women peripheral blood samples were obtained and submitted to the following tests: lymphocyte and lymphocyte subsets analyses (CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8 +CD3+, CD19+). Statistical analysis was performed by the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: the serum lymphocyte counts were decreased in women with preeclampsia (preeclamptic group 2295.10±1328.16; control group 3892.80±1430.85, p<0,05); and so were CD4+ (preeclamptic group 1188.80±625.61, control group; 1742.25±628.40, p<0.05); CD8+ (preeclamptic group: 774.00±371.31, control group 1175.70±517.72, p<0,05) and CD3+ (preeclamptic group 1958.65±983.78, control group 2916.95±1117.88, p<0,05). The other tests showed no significant differences between groups. CONCLUSION: the findings indicated a decreased number of lymphocytes, CD4+, CD8+ and CD3+ in preeclampsia.