Demographic features, clinical characteristics and risk factors of the four groups studied
| Parameter | APS–RSA group (n=57) | uRSA group (n=86) | tRSA group (n=42) | aPL group (n=30) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caucasian* | 57 (100) | 86 (100) | 42 (100) | 30 (100) | NS |
| Age at RSA diagnosis, years† | 32.8±3.5 (26–43) | 34.5±4.5 (24–45) | 34.3±5.1 (23–42) | 31.9±5.6 (24–42)‡ | NS |
| Aspirin treatment* | 12 (21) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 9 (30) | <0.0001 |
| First trimester spontaneous abortions† | 3.7±1.2 (3–8) | 4.3±2.0 (3–15) | 3.8±1.1 (3–6) | 0±0 (0) | NS |
| Second and/or third trimester pregnancy losses† | 0.1±0.4 (0–2) | 0.03±0.2 (0–1) | 0.1±0.4 (0–1) | 0±0 (0) | NS |
| Uneventful deliveries† | 1.0±0.7 (0–2) | 0.7±0.6 (0–2) | 0.9±0.7 (0–2) | 1.3±0.9 (0–3) | NS |
| BMI† | 24.3±3.9 (17–32) | 25.2±4.2 (17–34) | 24.7±5.3 (17–34) | 25.7±5.8 (18–33) | NS |
| Smoker* | NS | ||||
| Never | 48 (84.2) | 66 (76.7) | 35 (83.3) | 20 (67) | |
| Past | 3 (5.3) | 7 (8.2) | 2 (4.8) | 6 (20) | |
| Current | 6 (10.5) | 13 (15.1) | 5 (11.9) | 4 (13) | |
| Oral contraceptives* | NS | ||||
| Never-users | 57 (100) | 57 (100) | 42 (100) | 22 (73) | |
| Past-users | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 8 (27) | |
| Current-users | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Hypercholesterolaemia* | 2 (3.5) | 4 (4.6) | 2 (4.7) | 4 (13) | NS |
| Hypertension* | 4 (7) | 3 (3.5) | 2 (4.8) | 1 (3) | NS |
| Diabetes* | 0 (0) | 1 (1.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) | NS |
| Malignancy* | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NS |
| Thrombosis family history* | 3 (5) | 2 (2) | 3 (7) | 2 (7) | NS |
Values are
↵* n (%) or
↵† mean±SD (range).
↵‡ Age at study inclusion.
aPL group, patients with positive tests for antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) without pregnancy or thrombotic morbidity (laboratory testing for aPL was performed at the time of patients attending our hospital. See Materials and methods section for more details); APS–RSA group, antiphospholipid syndrome patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion; BMI, body mass index; NS, not significant; RSA, recurrent spontaneous abortion; tRSA group, patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion without aPL but with other known thrombophilias; uRSA group, patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion without aPL or other known thrombophilias.