International Journal of Health & Allied Sciences

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year
: 2015  |  Volume : 4  |  Issue : 1  |  Page : 9--12

Swine flu (H1N1 infection): An autoimmune endocrine condition in pregnant females


Shilpa Shah1, Bossois Marcello2, Roby Russell3, Richardson Patricia4, Richardson Richard4, Schlinkert Patricia5, Tinoco Eduardo6 
1 Post Doctoral Study, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
2 Mario Lioni Hospital (AMIL), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
3 Roby Institute, Austin, Texas, USA
4 University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
5 Central Hospital of the Brazilian Army, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6 School of Dentistry, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Correspondence Address:
Shilpa Shah
Aniket, Prarthna Samaj Road, Vile-parle (East), Mumbai - 400 057
India

Background: H1N1 infection tends to be more severe in pregnant than nonpregnant women. It is not known whether this is due to hormonal changes during pregnancy and/or immune responses to hormones. Aims: Whether the effect of pregnancy on responses to the H1N1 pandemic is mediated by the effects of immune responses to hormones resulting in anti-hormone antibody production requires investigation. Settings and Design: A prospective study was designed, and H1N1-infected pregnant women were recruited from the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital during the period 2009-2010. Materials and Methods: Differences in the levels of anti-estrogen and anti-progesterone antibodies were determined in H1N1-infected pregnant patients and healthy pregnant and healthy non-pregnant women, using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay technique. Statistical Analysis: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 16.0 (SPSS inc, Chicago, USA) software was used for all statistical procedures. Results: Pregnant women showed nonsignificant trends for higher immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM anti-estrogen-antibodies as compared to the healthy non-pregnant women. IgG, IgM, and IgE anti-progesterone-antibodies were also higher in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women, with marginally significant effects for IgG and IgE. H1N1 infection was associated with increased anti-estrogen IgG and IgA relative to healthy pregnant females. Conclusion: Findings about elevated anti-estrogen and anti-progesterone antibodies might improve our understanding of higher susceptibility of pregnant females to swine flu, and thereby lead to better management of this disease.


How to cite this article:
Shah S, Marcello B, Russell R, Patricia R, Richard R, Patricia S, Eduardo T. Swine flu (H1N1 infection): An autoimmune endocrine condition in pregnant females.Int J Health Allied Sci 2015;4:9-12


How to cite this URL:
Shah S, Marcello B, Russell R, Patricia R, Richard R, Patricia S, Eduardo T. Swine flu (H1N1 infection): An autoimmune endocrine condition in pregnant females. Int J Health Allied Sci [serial online] 2015 [cited 2024 Mar 28 ];4:9-12
Available from: https://www.ijhas.in/article.asp?issn=2278-344X;year=2015;volume=4;issue=1;spage=9;epage=12;aulast=Shah;type=0