From the ends of 1980s, AFPalpha-fetoprotein) being measured in the serum of a pregnant woman has been used to diagnose the neural tube defect or defect of the abdominal wall for a fetus, and the normal median value of AFP has been reported
several
times. Since 1993, when the hospital have taken triple test(AFP, human chorionic gonadotropin, unconjugated estriol) or double test(AFP, free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin) and used amniocentesis to make sure the fetal Down syndrome if they
turn out
be positive. However, using the Down syndrome screening program, as it is, was thought inadequate in the condition that the researches for the normal medians of AFP and free beta-hCG, which was based for those tests, have not performed.
Therefore, the author found the following results by calculationg the medians of AFP and free beta-hCG, according to the number of pregnancy weeks, from the serum of 777 pregnant women who took double test in the program of CIS bio International
in
the
department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Soonchunhyang University Hospital from April to October, 1995 and delivered the normal babies.
1. The medians of AFP by the number of pregnancy weeks were 17.89 ng/ml for 12 weeks, 36.40 for 12 weeks, 37.95 for 14 weeks. 43.18 for 15 weeks, 49.70 for 16 weeks 57.37 for 17 weeks, 74.04 for 18 weeks. 80.34 for 19 weeks, 90.20 for 20 weeks.
115.15
for 21 weeks, and 128.07 for 22 weeks.
2. The medians of free beta-hCG by the number of pregnancy weeks were 38.95 ng/ml for 12 weeks, 39.50 for 13 weeks, 26.57 for 14 weeks, 20.51 for 15 weeks, 15.40 for 16 weeks, 13.27 for 17 weeks, 10.30 for 18 weeks, 8.39 for 19 weeks, 8.70 for
19
weeks, 8.70 for 20 weeks, 11.93 for 21 weeks, and 7.22 for 22 weeks.
3. When the risk for Down syndrome was set to 1/270 from the use of the Down syndrome screening program of CIS bio international, 8.75% was resulted in positive, and one case out of them was turned out to be Down syndrome from the amniocentesis
before
birth.
Form the above results, the median values of AFP and free beta-hCG, being used for the basis of the program of screening the Down syndrome fetus from the pregnant woman, was established.
From this basis, it is desired to developed the program adapting to our environment and reduce the false positive rate of the pregnant women who have Down syndrome fetus, and unnecessary amniocentesis. Moreover, for the development of more
adequate
program, it is advised to perform the continued collection of information on the value of AFP, free beta hCG or, hCG and uE3 from the serum of the pregnant women having the fetus proved Down syndrome and to contribute for the development of the
project
of korean maternal and child health.
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