Pre-eclampsia is a life-threatening pregnancy condition that kills approximately 76,000 women – and 50,000 babies – a year around the world.
The condition, which affects as many as two to five per cent of pregnant women, causes high blood pressure and increased protein in urine, something that can be fatal if left un-diagnosed for too long.
But now Austrian scientists claim to have developed a new blood test which can help GPs and doctors identify women who are likely to develop pre-eclampsia – even if they do not yet have any of the symptoms associated with the condition.
“The main problem with pre-eclampsia is that clinical presentation is variable and symptoms are often too nonspecific to allow a clear diagnosis,” explains study co-author Stefan Verlohren from Campus Charité Mitte. “This new blood test can help us better predict the risk of disease onset or its progression.”
To conduct the study, the scientists gathered 1,273 pregnant women with suspected pre-eclampsia from 14 different countries, who all had to undergo blood tests to determine the ratio of two different proteins produced by the placenta and released into a pregnant woman’s bloodstream – as doctors believe these very proteins play an important role in the development of pre-eclampsia.
The protein test turned out to be so effective that the scientists were able to diagnose or rule out pre-eclampsia within one week, something that Verlohen claims will help avoid many preterm deliveries and delays in starting treatment, something that can be life-saving to both mothers and unborn babies.
