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Effect of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection on Serum Beta₂-Microglobulin Levels in Pregnant Women

From the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health, Pediatrics, and Preventive Medicine and Community Health and the Pediatrics AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.

Address reprint requests to: Arlene D. Bardeguez, MD Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health New Jersey Medical School 185 South Orange Avenue, MSB-E506 Newark, NJ 07103 E-mail: bardegad{at}umdnj.edu

Objective: To assess serum ß₂-microglobulin levels in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and uninfected pregnant women, variations of serum ß₂-microglobulin levels during pregnancy and postpartum, factors that might influence ß₂-microglobulin levels in pregnant women, and the association between ß₂-microglobulin and perinatal HIV-1 transmission.

Methods: We assayed 374 stored (-70C) serum samples from pregnant women enrolled in the Newark perinatal HIV-1–transmission study and 18 nonpregnant women for ß₂-microglobulin using a microparticulate enzyme immuno assay. The Student t test, Wilcoxon rank test, binomial test, and Spearman correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis, with P < .05 considered statistically significant. A linear regression model was used to assess the effect of independent variables on serum ß₂-microglobulin levels.

Results: There were no significant differences (P = .16) in serum ß₂-microglobulin levels between pregnant and non-pregnant HIV-negative women (1.07 ± 0.35 versus 0.99 ± 0.18 mg/L) ß₂-Microglobulin levels did not vary throughout pregnancy and postpartum, irrespective of HIV serostatus. Substance abuse did not alter ß₂-microglobulin levels. Human immunodeficiency virus infection caused significant increases of this surrogate marker, but it could not discriminate among disease stages. ß₂-Microglobulin levels at delivery were lower among women who delivered HIV-infected infants.

Conclusion: Human immunodeficiency virus infection was associated with increased serum ß₂-microglobulin levels in pregnant women and was the most significant correlate of increases of that marker. Pregnancy and substance use during pregnancy did not influence levels of serum ß₂- microglobulin significantly.