Comparison of VEGF-A levels in women with threatened abortion, early pregnancy loss and uncomplicated healthy pregnancies

Ozden Tokalioglu E., Turgut E., Gulen Yildiz E., Ozturk Agaoglu M., Biriken D., Tanacan A., ...More

Cytokine, vol.170, 2023 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 170
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156343
  • Journal Name: Cytokine
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Keywords: Angiogenesis, Early pregnancy loss, Poor pregnancy outcome, Threatened abortion, VEGF
  • Ankara University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Introduction: To estimate the possible role of VEGF-A in predicting poor early pregnancy outcomes including threatened abortion and early pregnancy loss. Methods: We conducted a prospective case-control study with three groups of pregnant women diagnosed with threatened abortion, early pregnancy loss, and uncomplicated healthy pregnancies between 01 March 2023 and 15 March 2023. Maternal serum VEGF-A concentration was measured using the Sandwich-ELISA method in accordance to the commercial kit's instructions. There were 30 patients in each 3 group and the gestational age of the patients was between 6 and 14 weeks. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed for comparing the median values between the groups. Mann-Whitney U test was conducted for pairwise comparisons. Results: VEGF-A levels were compared between 3 groups and a statistically significant difference was found (p = 0.007). There was a moderately significant correlation between VEGF-A levels and poor early pregnancy outcomes. For poor early pregnancy outcomes, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.64–0.85). The best balance of sensitivity/specificity in ROC curves was 0.60 (63.3% sensitivity, 74.3% specificity). Discussion: In conclusion, this study pointed out the increased VEGF concentrations in pregnant women with threatened miscarriage and early pregnancy loss. VEGF-A may be a potential biomarker for the indication of poor early pregnancy outcomes.