Comparison of Down's Syndrome Screening Strategies in Asians combining Serum Free Beta-hCG and Alpha-fetoprotein with Maternal Age
✍ Scribed by J. J. Hsu; T. T. Hsieh; Y. K. Soong; K. Spencer
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 81 KB
- Volume
- 17
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0197-3851
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
High free beta human chorionic gonadotropin ( -hCG) and low alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were found in 47 Asian Down's syndrome pregnancies (median values 2•79 and 0•77 MOM, respectively). At a 5 per cent false-positive rate, free -hCG alone would identify 46•8 per cent of Down's syndrome pregnancies, age alone detected 34•5 per cent of affected cases, whilst AFP alone detected 17 per cent and free -hCG/AFP MOM ratios detected 48•9 per cent of Down's syndrome cases. When combined with maternal age-specific risk, free -hCG could achieve a 59•6 per cent detection rate, with AFP achieving 42•6 per cent, free -hCG/AFP MOM ratios 61•7 per cent, and combined free -hCG and AFP a detection rate of 63•8 per cent for a 5 per cent false-positive rate. Down's syndrome screening at an early gestational age (before 18 weeks) could achieve a 68 per cent detection rate with a 5 per cent false-positive rate, compared with a 59•1 per cent detection rate for a 5•2 per cent false-positive rate when screening at a late gestational age. The use of free -hCG in Down's syndrome screening programmes can yield an improved efficacy in the detection of Down's syndrome in an Asian population. 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.