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Objectives To estimate the incidence of human parvovirus B 19 among pregnant women before and during an epidemic, to elucidate possible sociodemographic and medical risk factors during pregnancy and to estimate the association between parvovirus B 19 infection and negative pregnancy outcome.Design Prospective study among pregnant women followed from their first antenatal visit before 24 full weeks of gestation until delivery.Setting Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark, November 1992 to February 1994.Methods 3596 pregnant women were invited to participate. The women were examined at first antenatal visit in the period from November 1992 to February 1994 and at delivery. The last delivery was in August 1994 and samples were thus collected before and during a large parvovirus B19 epidemic in Denmark January to September 1994. A blood sample for parvovirus B19 serology was taken at enrolment and from the umbilical cord at delivery. Three questionnaires were completed during 2nd and 3rd trimesters and a registration form at delivery. In total, 3 174 (87.6%) were enrolled and 79.5% completed the study. ResultsThe prevalence of B19 IgG seropositivity at the first antenatal visit before 24 full weeks of gestation was 66% . The cumulative prevalence proportion of acute parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy among IgG negative women was found to be 10.3% (IgM seropositivity andor IgG seroconversion). The IgG seroconversion incidence increased significantly from 1.0% to 13.5% among 932 seronegative pregnant women before and during the epidemic, respectively ( P c 0.001). Independent risk factors related to increased risk of B 19 infection during pregnancy, adjusted for other sociodemographic and medical factors, were: children at home (adjusted OR 2.1,95% CI 1.3-3.2); serious medical disease (adjusted OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.0-8.5); and a stressful job (adjusted OR 1-8, 95% CI 1 G3.3). Parvovirus B 19 IgM seropositivity was associated with events of late spontaneous abortions and stillbirths (crude OR 9.9; 95% CI 3.3-29.4). ConclusionBefore and during an epidemic of acute B19 infection incidences were measured among pregnant women to be 1.0% and 13.5%, respectively. Three factors, significantly increasing the risk of acute B 19, were identified as: having children at home; suffering from serious medical diseases; and having a stressful job. IgM positivity for parvovirus B19 was associated with negative outcome of pregnancy.

Cardiac troponin T (TnT) is a new serological marker for use as a diagnostic tool for myocardial damage. A blinded prospective multicentre study representing 298 patients suspected of having acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and admitted to the coronary care units of six Scandinavian Hospitals was undertaken to assess the diagnostic performance and prognostic efficacy of a new cardiospecific TnT immunoassay. We used a discriminator TnT value of 0.20 microgram l-1. One hundred and fifty five patients (52%) had definite AMI, based on WHO criteria (all had peak S-TnT values of > or = 0.20 micrograms l-1); 127 patients (43%) had ischaemic heart disease (IHD) without AMI; and 16 patients (5%) had non-IHD (all had peak S-TnT values of < 0.20 microgram l-1). The 127 IHD-patients without definite AMI could be subdivided into a group of 44 patients with S-TnT peak values of > or = 0.20 microgram l-1, and a group of 83 patients with TnT below this level. An equal identification of these patients among the centres was seen (mean +/- SD 35 +/- 13%; range 20-55%). A follow-up study was able to define the clinical significance of these findings. The cumulative 6 months probability of suffering cardiac death or AMI was significantly higher in the subgroup with increased TnT values (14% (6/44)) as compared to the other subgroup (4% (3/83)) (Log-rank test, p = 0.025). The probability of cardiac events was 15% for the patients with definite AMI.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)