C-reactive protein levels in pregnancy

摘要

Van den Hooven et al. (2012) found a nonsignificant association between high levels of maternal and fetal C-reactive protein (CRP) and exposure to air pollution when they examined the correlation of CRP levels with inflammation and obstetric morbidity. The authors reported that elevated fetal CRP levels at delivery were associated with higher long-term average maternal exposure to PM_(10) (particulate matter < =10 mum in aerodynamic diameter) and NO_2 (nitrogen dioxide). Other studies have reported that neither preeclampsia (Kristensen et al. 2009) nor pregnancy loss (Boggess et al. 2005) is associated with a systemic inflammation as reflected by CRP levels. However, van den Hooven et al. (2012) insisted that exposure to air pollution may lead to systemic inflammation in pregnancy. Although this statement is defensible, the confounding results regarding CRP levels should be clarified.