The histidine-rich glycoprotein A1042G polymorphism and recurrent miscarriage: a pilot study

BACKGROUND Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) has previously been shown to have an impact on implantation and fertility. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is an association between the HRG A1042G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and recurrent miscarriage. METHODS The study was designed as a case-control study and the women were included at University Hospitals in Sweden. 186 cases with recurrent miscarriage were compared with 380 pregnant controls with no history of miscarriage. Each woman was genotyped for the HRG A1042G SNP. RESULTS The results indicated that the frequency of heterozygous HRG A1042G carriers was higher among controls compared to cases (34.7% vs 26.3%; p<0.05). In a bivariate regression analysis, a negative association was found between recurrent miscarriage and heterozygous A/G carriers both in the entire study population (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.45 - 0.99; p<0.05) as well as in a subgroup of women with primary recurrent miscarriage (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.16 - 0.84; p<0.05). These results remained even after adjustment for known confounders such as age, BMI and thyroid disease (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.15 - 0.84; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Women who are heterozygous carriers of the HRG A1042G SNP suffer from recurrent miscarriage more seldom than homozygous carriers. Thus, analysis of the HRG A1042G SNP might be of importance for individual counseling regarding miscarriage.