Abstract

Placental associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) is a marker for the diagnosis of preterm labor and adverse outcomes of pregnancy. Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum PAAP-A levels in 11—14 weeks pregnant patients and the rate of abortion and preterm delivery Material and methods. In the present cohort study 827 pregnant patients with 11—14 weeks pregnancy to the hospital. A complete medical and obstetric history was obtained from them. Then, the first screening tests and PAPP-A were evaluated and recorded. The prevalence of adverse outcomes was also evaluated in three groups based on PAPP-A levels. Finally, statistics were entered into SPSS software for analysis. Results. There was a significant difference in the mean PAPP-A levels among women who developed each of the studied adverse outcomes: preterm delivery, extremely early preterm delivery and abortion. The prevalence of all three different adverse outcomes was significantly higher among patients in the group having the lowest level of PAPP-A MOM level (<0.35). Each unit decrease in PAPP-A increased the chances of preterm delivery, extremely early preterm delivery and abortion respectively by 39 (p=0.37), 50 (p=0.011) and 93 (p=001). The area under the ROC curve for abortion is significantly higher than the ones for preterm and extremely early preterm delivery. Conclusion. The present study showed a significant relationship between low PAPP-A levels and higher risk of preterm delivery, extremely early preterm delivery and abortion. According to these results, it is suggested to be used as an accurate marker for prediction of these outcomes. © 2022, Media Sphera Publishing Group. All rights reserved.