Low First Trimester Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A Levels Are Not Associated with an Increased Risk of Intrapartum Fetal Compromise or Adverse Neonatal Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Jessica M Turner; Sailesh Kumar

doi:10.3390/jcm9041108

Low First Trimester Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A Levels Are Not Associated with an Increased Risk of Intrapartum Fetal Compromise or Adverse Neonatal Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study

J Clin Med. 2020 Apr 13;9(4):1108. doi: 10.3390/jcm9041108.

Authors

Jessica M Turner^{1

2}, Sailesh Kumar^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Raymond Terrace, Level 3 Aubigny Place, S. Brisbane 4101, Queensland, Australia.
² Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Whitty Building, Annerley Road, S. Brisbane 4101, Queensland, Australia.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess if women with a low first trimester maternal pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) level are at increased risk of emergency cesarean (EmCS) for intrapartum fetal compromise (IFC) and/or adverse neonatal outcomes. This was a retrospective cohort study performed at Mater Mother's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, between 2016 and 2018. All women with a singleton, euploid, non-anomalous fetus with a documented PAPP-A level measured between 10 ⁺⁰ and 13 ⁺⁶ weeks gestation during the study period were included. Data were extracted from the institution's perinatal database and dichotomized according to PAPP-A level (≤0.4 Multiples of Medium (MoM) vs. >0.4 MoM). The primary outcomes were EmCS-IFC and a composite of severe adverse neonatal outcomes (SCNO). Nine thousand sixty-one pregnancies were included, 3.3% with a PAPP-A ≤ 0.4 MoM. Low maternal PAPP-A was not associated with an increased risk of EmCS-IFC (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-2.46, p = 0.66) or SCNO (aOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.39-1.07, p = 0.09). Low PAPP-A was associated with increased odds of pre-eclampsia, preterm birth and birthweight < 10th centile. In conclusion, low maternal PAPP-A level is not associated with an increased risk of EmCS IFC or adverse neonatal outcomes despite greater odds of low-birthweight infants and preterm birth.

Keywords: PAPP-A; adverse perinatal outcomes; biochemical markers; biomarker; emergency cesarean birth; fetal compromise.