Factor XII deficiency in women with recurrent miscarriage

Congenital thrombophilia is known to cause significant maternal complicatio ns, and possibly has an adverse effect on normal feta I development, The ai m of this study was to assess the prevalence of factor XII (FXII) deficienc y in women with a history of recurrent miscarriage. Two hundred and forty-o ne consecutive Japanese women with a history of two or more recurrent misca rriages were prospectively assessed for their etiology by conventional scre ening methods. Seven women were found to have reduced FXII activity (19.2-4 6.1%) and prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (33.3-51.3 s). Of these 7 women, 6 had experienced early pregnancy losses, while 1 woman had experienced repeated midtrimester fetal losses with coincidental gestation al thrombocytopenia, In 241 women with a history of recurrent miscarriage, the prevalence of FXII deficiency was 2.9%. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG , Basel.