THE CORRELATION OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS WITH C3/C4 LEVELS, ANTI-DSDNA TITERS, AND AUTOIMMUNE TARGET TESTING IN GRAVIDAS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between complement (C3 and C4) levels, anti-dsDNA titers, autoimmune target test (AITT), and pregnancy complications. Methods Ninety-three pregnancies with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were analyzed retrospectively. We evaluated the course of the pregnancy and outcome, pregnancy complications, progression of SLE, maternal complications of SLE, drugs taken before and after pregnancy, neonatal outcomes, and C3/C4 levels, anti-dsDNA titers, and AITT results. SPSS ver. 14.0 was used for statistical analysis. The average and standard deviation are shown. Chi-square test and Pearson correlation test were used for statistical analysis. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results The C3 level was associated with maternal leukopenia, elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) elevation, hematuria, hypertension, and preterm premature rupture of membranes. The C4 level was associated with maternal proteinuria, hematuria, hematologic disease, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. The anti-dsDNA titer was associated with elevated maternal serum CRP, oligohydramnios,and neonatal anti-Sjögren's syndrome B (La) antibody. The AITT result was related to elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and 1 and 5minute Apgar scores. Conclusion Our result show that adding the AITT to conventional C3/C4 and anti-dsDNA testing in gravidas with SLE might help antenatal care.