Preeclampsia affects 2–8% of pregnant women worldwide. The US FDA has granted its approval to a preeclampsia blood test for pregnant women. Preeclampsia is a dangerous hypertension condition. To assess preeclampsia risk, clinicians evaluate blood pressure and urine proteins. These tests become poor predictors as pregnancy proceeds and increase the risk of impairment and death in pregnant women.
The newly approved blood test detects blood proteins sFlt1 and PIGF, which better predict preeclampsia outcomes than current approaches.
The test can predict severe preeclampsia in pregnant women with hypertension between 23 and 35 weeks.
The University of Chicago Medicine’s chief of maternal-foetal medicine and professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, Sarosh Rana, said, “Doctors can use this in conjunction with other clinically available tests to stratify their patients to determine whether they’re at high risk for severe preeclampsia and complications, or at low risk, to be managed appropriately.”
Preeclampsia causes high blood pressure, urine protein, and organ damage. Symptomless women can have maternal, foetal, and premature deliveries. To identify and treat preeclampsia, deliver the baby and placenta.
If the baby is too young to live outside the womb, doctors treat the mother’s illness with antihypertensives, magnesium, and steroids. Preeclampsia affects lifelong.
Rana added preeclampsia increases the risk of short-term and long-term hypertension problems and cardiovascular disease throughout life.
She added that women who test negative and are low risk may have shorter hospital stays and less or no steroid treatments.
The test might move high-risk patients to a higher-level care center that can handle maternal problems and premature birth. In individuals who doctors suspect but cannot confirm preeclampsia, the test may minimize premature birth.
Conclusion:
The US FDA has granted its approval to a preeclampsia blood test for pregnant women.. The test identifies sFlt1 and PIGF, two blood proteins that indicate bad preeclampsia outcomes better than current approaches. It predicts severe preeclampsia in pregnant women with hypertension between 23 and 35 weeks. Preeclampsia often causes maternal and fetal problems and premature birth. Preeclampsia is only diagnosed and treated by delivering the baby and placenta.
The test may reduce hospital stays and steroid treatments for low-risk women. The test might prevent premature birth in individuals who doctors suspect but cannot confirm preeclampsia and transfer high-risk patients to higher-level care institutions.
