Gestational Differences and Cross-Domain Associations of Routine Inflammatory and Haemostatic Markers in Pregnancies with Uncomplicated Term Outcomes: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study

Authors:
Open Access
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Gestational differences in individual biomarkers have been established, but concurrent inflammatory–haemostatic correlations may partly reflect gestational timing. This study describes routine-marker differences and explored adjusted associations in pregnancies subsequently confirmed to have uncomplicated term outcomes. Methods: Sixty-six distinct women contributed one sample each: 18, 21 and 27 in the first, second and third trimesters. CRP, NLR, D-dimer and fibrinogen were the primary markers. Analyses included multiplicity-corrected comparisons, age-adjusted log-linear models and partial rank correlations adjusted for gestational week and maternal age. Cross-domain tests formed a 13-association exploratory family. A sensitivity analysis omitted five internally inconsistent differential blood counts. Results: Trimester differences remained for CRP, D-dimer and NLR after Holm correction (all adjusted p < 0.001), but not fibrinogen (p = 0.120). Adjusted fibrinogen correlations were 0.481 with white blood cell count, 0.461 with neutrophils and 0.320 with NLR (Benjamini–Hochberg-adjusted p < 0.001, p = 0.002, 0.004 and 0.042). Most cytokine values were below the effective lower calibration boundary and were not quantitatively reliable. Conclusions: This outcome-restricted cross-sectional sample showed an exploratory fibrinogen–leukocyte co-variation after limited adjustment. The overlapping indices represent one association pattern, not independent biological confirmations. Residual confounding, selection and measurement limitations preclude causal or clinical interpretation.

This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit: