Autoantibody profile and other immunological parameters in recurrent spontaneous abortion patients

BACKGROUND: An autoimmune cause and related immunological alterations resulting in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) have been suggested in patients with unknown etiology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study evaluated the autoantibody profile and other immunological parameters among RSA patients and normal pregnant women from Mumbai western India. Fifty RSA patients with unknown cause and greater than three consecutive abortions along with 50 normal pregnant women were studied for various auto antibodies such as ANA, anti-dsDNA, ANCA, AECA, 2 micro globulin, anti-HLA antibodies and ACLA using immunofluorescence microlymphocytotoxicity and ELISA. Immunological parameters such as HLA class I monoclonal antibody expression, CD3 (T cell), CD19 (B cell), and CD56 (NK cell) were estimated by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The results revealed 34% positivity of all auto antibodies tested among patients. ANA(12%), ANCA (20%), AECA (24%), ACLA (8%), anti-dsDNA(0%), β2 microglobulin (14%), and anti-HLA antibodies(10%) among RSA patients were identified. An increased expression of HLA class I specific monoclonal antibody (10%) with HLA A3 (16%) specificity were found to correlate with shared HLA alleles among the RSA couples. Among normal pregnant (control) group ANA (2%), ANCA (2%), AECA (3%), ACLA (4%) and increased expression of CD56 with reduced HLA class I monoclonal were observed. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a possible role of various autoantibodies along with the related immunological parameters underlying RSA.