Table 1_Villitis of unknown etiology is a placental pathology associated with pregnancy complication: a systematic review and meta-analysis.xlsx

BackgroundVillitis of unknown etiology (VUE) is a chronic placental inflammatory lesion of high incidence, but its relationship with adverse pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. This meta-analysis quantifies its impact on five critical complications adverse pregnancy outcomes, including fetal growth restriction (IUGR), preeclampsia (PE), gestational hypertension, small gestation age (SGA), and stillbirth.
MethodsWe used the search verb “villitis of unknown etiology” OR “VUE” OR “chronic villitis” OR “unknown etiology of villitis”, from databases SCOUP, PubMed and Google Scholar, incorporating cohort studies, case–control studies. Heterogeneity was assessed via I2 statistics.
ResultsThe incidence of VUE was higher in the IUGR, PE, gestational hypertension, SGA, and stillbirth groups than in the normal control group. VUE was significantly associated with an increased risk of stillbirth (OR = 3.64, 95% CI: 1.80–7.39) and pre-eclampsia (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.03–1.65). A marginal association was observed between VUE and gestational hypertension (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 0.892–2.23). In contrast, the associations of VUE with IUGR (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 0.509–4.77) and SGA (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.099–10.4) were not statistically significant and exhibited substantial heterogeneity.
ConclusionVUE is strongly associated with stillbirth and PE, highlighting its role in the pathogenesis of placental-related diseases. While there are no significant associations were found with intrauterine growth restriction or small for gestational age infants based on current evidence, these findings solidify the link between VUE and specific obstetric syndromes.
Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=1077709, identifier PROSPERO (CRD4202121077709).