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Serum alpha-fetoprotein in predicting preterm delivery

Abstract:

Objective: To relate the concentrations of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels with the occurrence of preterm delivery (PP) in pregnant women with and without risk factors (RF) attending Motherhood "Dr. Armando Castillo Plaza" in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela. Methods: This research is a predictive and comparative type, which included 60 pregnant women with and without RF for PP (n = 30 for each group), which were determined from serum AFP 24-28 weeks of gestation, being followed until completion of pregnancy. Results: The concentrations of AFP in pregnancies with RF were significantly higher (341.35 ± 183.51 vs. 238.63 ± 110.46, p<0.05), also the diagnostic PP was performed in 43.33% of pregnant women with RF and non RF 13.33% (p<0.05). This test presented in RF pregnant with higher rates of sensitivity (77%), specificity (76%), positive predictive value (71%) or negative (81%), total prediction (77%), positive likelihood ratio (3.27) and positive post-test probability (71%), whereas the negative likelihood ratio (0.30) and the post-test probability negative (19%) were low, while the risk of PP was significant (OR [95% CI] = 10.833 [1.961 to 59.835]; p<0.05). Conclusion: There is a relationship between elevated AFP levels and the presences of PP, showing this test have high diagnostic accuracy and predictive power for the occurrence of this disease in pregnant with RF.