The test is performed on maternal serum, using venous blood. The normal level in non-pregnant adults falls between 0 to 40 ng/mL, and levels above 200 ng/mL in individuals with hepatic cirrhosis are highly suspicious of superadded hepatocellular carcinoma. The mean level is somewhat higher in blacks, on average, and lower in Asians than the level in whites. The AFP level is known to rise from the end of the first trimester, lies between 10-150 ng/mL thereafter, and falls only after 32 weeks of pregnancy. Open defects of the neural tube cause excessive amounts to leak from the fetal blood into the amniotic fluid because the two are now in direct contact due to the defective body wall at the site of the anomaly. It is the most abundant serum protein in the early embryo.ĪFP passes from the fetal circulation into the fetal kidneys to be excreted into the amniotic fluid. It exists as monomers and dimers, as well as trimers. It is encoded by chromosome 4 in tandem with the albumin gene and the protein is probably the counterpart of serum albumin in fetal life. Monitoring cancer treatment efficacy by measuring the decline of AFP levelsĪFP is a glycoprotein found in the plasma of pregnant women, produced by the fetal tissues, specifically the yolk sac and the fetal liver.Screening for certain cancers arising from the germ cells (liver, ovarian or testicular).Family history of babies with congenital defectsĪlpha-fetoprotein (AFP) testing outside pregnancy is required in situations such as:.History of babies with congenital defects.Some high-risk conditions in which the MS-AFP test is ordered include: It thus forms part of the triple and quadruple test which are screening tests for fetal anomalies. In addition, it also provides information on the risk of other birth defects and pregnancy complications. The MS-AFP test is a routinely offered screening test for all antenatal women because it is both efficient and cost-effective as a method of predicting the risk of neural tube defects in the baby. Image Credit: Jarun Ontakrai/ Indications One such test is the maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein screening test (MS-AFP). Many imaging and serologic tests have been evolved to help predict the occurrence of congenital disease. Liji Thomas, MD Reviewed by Afsaneh Khetrapal, BSc
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |