Differential increases in AFP, hCG, and uE3 in twin pregnancies: impact on attempts to quantify Down syndrome screening calculations

Abstract

Since the advent of multiple marker screening (MMS) for Down syndrome (DS) risk calculations, limitations for twins have been apparent. Recent attempts have been made to extrapolate mathematically singleton risks to twins. Here we investigate the pattern of levels among AFP, hCG, and uE3 in twins. MMS screening data from 4,443 twin pregnancies were compared to those from 258,885 singletons from 14-21 weeks of gestational age during a 3-year period (1992-1994) in our laboratory. Medians were determined for singletons and twins, and the ratios of twins to singletons were derived. Median AFP levels for twins are approximately double those of singletons, but median increases for hCG and uE3 are less than double. The data were divided further by ethnic groups (white, African American, Asian, and Hispanic), among which there were significant variations in medians, but not in the ratios of twins to singletons. The increased serum levels of different markers in twins are not consistent across analytes, possibly reflecting independent development of different compartments. Such differences mean that a mere mathematical conversion of singleton DS risks would be imbalanced among the analytes and cannot be applied reasonably to twins. Ethnic-specific databases are as important in twins as they are in singletons.