Elevated second-trimester maternal serum hCG in patients undergoing haemodialysis

Abstract

Prenatal Down syndrome screening with maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) has become common. High levels of maternal serum hCG and low levels of AFP have been associated with an increased risk of fetal Down syndrome. In this paper, we report five pregnancies in patients undergoing long-term haemodialysis, all of whom had false-positive second-trimester Down syndrome screening results. All of our five patients had extremely high levels of maternal serum hCG, but normal AFP values for their gestational age, and all had serious complications during pregnancy.