Anergy during pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine whether the prevalence of anergy is higher among pregnant women than among nonpregnant women. STUDY DESIGN: Sixty human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative women (n = 30 pregnant, n = 30 nonpregnant) from the Duke University Medical Center (Dur ham, North Carolina) clinic were enrolled. Skin tests were performed with p urified protein derivative of tuberculin, Candida antigen, mumps antigen, a nd tetanus toroid. A power calculation was done to determine adequate sampl e size, and data were analyzed with the Fisher exact test and the t test. RESULTS: Three women in each group did not have a response to any of the an tigens tested, for an anergy prevalence of 10%. Pregnant women were less li kely to have a reaction to skin testing with tetanus toroid than were nonpr egnant women (10% vs 40%; P < .02). CONCLUSION: Human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative pregnant women did no t appear to have a higher prevalence of anergy than that seen among compara ble nonpregnant women. Human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative pregnant w omen who are being evaluated with the purified protein derivative of tuberc ulin skin test are therefore unlikely to need anergy skin testing just beca use they are pregnant.