HLA sharing among couples appears unrelated to idiopathic recurrent fetal loss in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Recurrent fetal loss (RFL) is a prevalent problem affecting approximately 1% of all women of childbearing age. Many factors can lead to RFL; however, recent studies have indicated the important role of the maternal immune system in this process. The human leukocyte antigens (HLA), HLA-linked genes and regulatory factors play an important role in fetal loss and in fetal development.

Socio-demographic characteristics of the "unbooked mother".

In a study to investigate the characteristics of the "Unbooked mother", the medical records of 467 patients who presented for delivery with no prenatal care at the obstetric unit of the King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, during the period 1991 to 1995 were evaluated. For controls, the records of 415 mothers who had pre-natal care in the Unit over the same period were also evaluated. Data pertaining to their socio-demographic characteristics, previous obstetric history, prevalence of pregnancy-related and familial diseases, gestation age at delivery and weights of the babies, were extracted and analysed using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (C.