Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and demographic details of all groups
| Variable | Controls (n = 292) | aPL (n = 73) | APS (n = 73) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, median (IQR) | 32 (27–35) | 36 (32–40)* | 36 (31–39)* |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | |||
| Caucasian | 161 (55.1) | 47 (64.4) | 38 (52.1) |
| Indian subcontinent | 20 (6.9) | 4 (5.5) | 8 (11.0) |
| African | 87 (29.8) | 18 (24.7) | 23 (31.5) |
| Others | 24 (8.2) | 4 (5.5) | 4 (5.5) |
| Type of aPL, n (%) | NA | ||
| aCL IgGa | 11 (15.1) | 2 (2.7) | |
| aCL IgMa | 5 (6.8) | 2 (2.7) | |
| LA | 47 (64.4) | 46 (63.0) | |
| aCL and LA | 14 (19.2) | 23 (31.5) | |
| BMI, median (IQR) | 24 (22–27) | 24 (22–27) | 25 (21–29) |
| Nicotine use, n (%) | 32 (11.3) | 7 (9.6) | 9 (12.3) |
| ART, n (%) | 17 (5.8) | 17 (23.3)* | 9 (12.3) |
| Medical comorbidities, n (%) | |||
| Hypertension | 8 (2.7) | 4 (5.5) | 8 (11.0)* |
| Renal disease | 2 (0.7) | 1 (1.4) | 3 (4.1)* |
| Diabetes—type 1 and type 2 | 4 (1.4) | 0 | 2 (2.74) |
| Minor medical problemsb | 62 (21.3) | 25 (34.3)* | 27 (37.0)* |
| No medical comorbidities | 216 (74.0) | 43 (59.0)* | 33 (45.2)* |
| Previous pregnancy morbidity, n (%) | |||
| None | 274 (93.8) | 68 (93.2) | 0*,** |
| Recurrent <10-week miscarriage | 3 (1.0) | 1 (1.4) | 19 (26.0)*,** |
| Pregnancy loss at ≥10 weeks | 9 (3.1) | 5 (6.9) | 10 (13.7)* |
| Delivery <34 weeks from severe pre-eclampsia | 0 | 0 | 7 (9.6)*,** |
| Delivery <34 weeks from severe placental insufficiency or intrauterine growth restriction | 1 (0.3) | 0 | 5 (6.9)*,** |
| Structural anomalies, n (%) | |||
| Cervical insufficiency | 16 (11.0) | 15 (20.5)*,** | 6 (8.2) |
| Structural anomalies of the uterus | 17 (11.6) | 10 (13.7)* | 4 (5.5) |
| Parity, n (%) | |||
| Nulliparity | 173 (59.3) | 39 (53.4) | 27 (37.0)*,** |
| Aspirin use, n (%) | 18 (6.2) | 70 (95.9)* | 71 (97.3)* |
| LMWH use, n (%) | 5 (1.7) | 47 (64.4)* | 59 (80.8)*,** |
| LMWH continued throughout pregnancy | 1 (20.0) | 9 (19.1)* | 25 (42.4)*,** |
IQR: interquartile range. aaCL > 40 GPL or MPL. bMinor medical problems included thyroid disease, recurrent headache, asthma, etc., medical conditions that were not thought to affect fetal growth and pregnancy outcomes in the long term. *P < 0.05 when comparing either aPL or obstetric APS and controls. **P < 0.05 when comparing aPL and obstetric APS.