Use of prokineticin-1 (PROK1), pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and PROK1/PAPP-A ratio to predict adverse pregnancy outcomes in the first trimester: a prospective study.

<bold>Introduction: </bold>To compare the predictive effectiveness levels of prokineticin-1 (PROK1), pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and the PROK1/PAPP-A ratio in the first trimester for preeclampsia (PE), foetal growth restriction (FGR), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and spontaneous preterm birth (SPB).<bold>Materials and Methods: </bold>A total of randomly selected 162 pregnant women were included. Peripheral blood samples were obtained between 110/7 and 136/7 gestational weeks (GWs). All women were followed throughout the pregnancy and classified into five groups as having PE, FGR, GDM, SPB and uncomplicated pregnancies. The cut-off levels of the markers were identified to predict adverse outcomes.<bold>Results: </bold>PROK1 predicted PE with 83.3% sensitivity, 85.7% specificity at a value of >293.4 pg/mL; at a value of >260.2 pg/mL, PROK1 predicted FGR with 85.7% sensitivity, 72.5% specificity in the first trimester. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of PAPP-A was lower than that of PROK1 and PROK1/PAPP-A in differentiating PE and FGR from the uncomplicated group (p < .001). PROK1 levels and the PROK1/PAPP-A ratios in the SPB and GDM groups were lower than in the uncomplicated group (p < .01).<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Elevated PROK1 in the first trimester is a more effective marker than PAPP-A in the prediction of PE and FGR. Lower PROK1 levels are associated with the development of SPB and GDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]