Do racial differences exist in second-trimester maternal hCG levels? a study of 23 369 patients |
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| Authors: | Dr Françoise Muller Laurence Bussières Marie-Christine Pèlissier Jean-François Oury Claire Boué Serge Uzan André Boué |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Biochimie, Hǒpital Ambroise Paré, Boulogne;2. Génétique, Hǒpital de la Timone, Marseille;3. Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Hǒpital Robert Debré, Paris;4. Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Pointe á Pitre;5. Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Hǒpital Tenon, Paris;6. INSERM U73, Paris, France |
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| Abstract: | In Down syndrome screening by maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) determination at 15, 16, 17, and 18 weeks of gestation, we prospectively examined 23 369 sera from white (21 549), North African (970), black African (525), and Asian (325) patients. When expressed as multiples of the median (MOM), no difference was observed between white, North African, and black African patients. However, higher serum hCG concentrations were noted in Asians, for whom we therefore recommend correction of hCG values before calculation of the risk of Down syndrome. |
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| Keywords: | Human chorionic gonadotropin maternal serum screening Down syndrome racial differences |
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