Biomarkers of inflammation and placental dysfunction are associated with subsequent preterm birth

Methods. aEuro integral We performed a prospective cohort study of women with symptoms of preterm labor (22--33 6/7 weeks). Maternal serum was analyzed for hsCRP and PlGF. Median biomarker values were used as analytic cut-points. We performed chi-square tests of association between biomarkers and PTB, nonparametric tests to compare medians, and logistic regression to determine the odds of PTB associated with biomarker values. Test characteristics of each biomarker were calculated. Results. aEuro integral 56.3%% of the cohort (N == 96) delivered preterm. Median hsCRP (N == 78) was 4.34 mg/L, and median PlGF (N == 86) was 558.25 mg/l. In the setting of inflammation (high hsCRP), women with low PlGF had a 6.84-fold (95%%CI: 1.57--29.80) increased risk of PTB. In the setting of placental dysfunction (low PlGF), women with high hsCRP had a 5.97-fold (95%%CI: 1.52--23.43) increased risk of PTB. Conclusions. aEuro integral Our results suggest an interplay between inflammation and placental dysfunction in the pathogenesis of PTB. Analyzing biomarkers that reflect different pathways of PTB may hold promise for identifying patients at greatest risk.