The Fetal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein and Its Relationship to Immunoglobulins and Birth Weight at Term

Abstract

The distribution of values of α-fetoprotein (AFP) was analyzed in the cord blood of 350 newborns divided into groups according to whether their mothers were normal, preeclamptic, or smokers. In addition, fetal birth weight and fetal I_gA and I_gM at term were correlated with AFP. Cord serum AFP values showed a unimodal bell-shaped distribution in 268 normal newborns with a mean of 22.7 ± 11.3 (SD) µg/ml. The cord sera of infants of preeclamptic mothers and of smoking mothers showed a similar mean and distribution. As previously observed, AFP was correlated inversely with birth weight. No correlation existed between AFP and fetal Ig levels.