| Abstract: | The presence of elevated titres of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) and antihistone antibodies (AHA) in the blood serum is considered as one of serious reasons of repeated pregnancy losses. According to some reports, heparin significantly improves live birth rates in these cases. The aim of the work is an evaluation of the results of the heparin therapy in pregnant women with elevated titres of ACA and/or AHA in blood and bad obstetric anamnesis, or after sterility treatment. Our material consisted of three groups: the first one was composed of 25 ACA- and/or AHA-seropositive pregnant women 30.0 +/- 4.1 years old with 1-5 early miscarriages in past, the second one of six seropositive patients 31.3 +/- 2.8 years old, actually pregnant after the treatment of unexplained sterility (two of them after assisted reproduction) and, finally, in the third group were placed five pregnant ACA- and AHA-seronegative pregnant women 30.8 +/- 2.2 years old with 2-4 abortions of unexplained etiology in past. The ACA IgA, IgM and IgG and AHA IgG levels in blood sera were determined by ELISA. As a positive titre ACA in the class IgA was considered > 7 APL/ml, in the class IgM > 4 MPL/ml, IgG > 7 GPL/ml and in case of AHA IgG > 25 GPL/ml. The patients were treated by heparin 7500-30,000 units daily during all the pregnancy under the control of kaolin-kephalin time. In the first group, where 53 pregnancies from 56 were miscarried (94.6%), after the heparin therapy in 10 women 9 pregnancies of 11 (81.8%) were terminated by live birth (p < 0.001). One of the patients died three days after cesarean section because of myocardial infarction, probably due to sudden stopping of heparin. In the second group three women after heparin treatment delivered live babies, but three untreated aborted. In the last group only two women treated by heparin delivered live babies and three, despite treatment, miscarried. It should be concluded, that heparin therapy in ACA- and/or AHA-positive pregnant women might be a recommended therapeutic method. In cases of antiphospholipid syndrome a special precaution should be undertaken, when stopping the heparin. It seems, that double assay of ACA and AHA in patients with conception troubles might be usefull. |
