ANTIBODIES TO PHOSPHOLIPIDS AND NUCLEAR ANTIGENS IN NONPREGNANT WOMENWITH UNEXPLAINED SPONTANEOUS RECURRENT ABORTIONS

In a collaborative study of 73 non-pregnant Kuwaiti women with unexpla ined spontaneous recurrent abortion (RSA), 30 control healthy non-preg nant multiparous Kuwaiti women and 20 North American women who receive d elective abortion(s), autoantibodies to 6 phospholipids and 9 nuclea r antigens were measured. Women with recurrent spontaneous abortions d emonstrated 3 times higher incidence of antibodies to phospholipids (3 0.1%) than controls (10% each) (P = 0.029). The incidence of both IgM and IgA class antiphospholipid antibodies were significantly higher th an those of controls. The incidence of antibodies to cardiolipin in wo men with recurrent spontaneous abortions (12.3%) was significantly hig her than those of controls (P = 0.035) and incidence of IgM but not Ig G anticardiolipin antibody was significantly higher in women with RSAs than in controls (P = 0.053). The incidences of anti-polyinosinic aci d (P = 0.035) and anti-histone 1 antibody (P = 0.052) were significant ly higher in women with recurrent spontaneous abortions than controls. There was no significant difference in the incidence of autoantibodie s between primary and secondary aborters. However, women with a histor y of second trimester abortions showed a higher incidence of antiphosp holipid antibodies than women with first trimester abortions only. Rec urrent spontaneous abortion is associated with autoantibodies to phosp holipid epitopes including IgA antiphospholipid antibodies.