Pregnancy New method for the early detection of dangerous preeclampsia

Risk of preeclampsia can be better estimated using the new method
Some women develop during pregnancy a so-called preeclampsia - colloquially known as pregnancy poisoning. If this is recognized too late, at worst the death of mother and child threatens. A recent study has now identified certain ratios of messengers that provide a reliable indicator of the onset of the disease.

In the international multicenter study, researchers were able to "now show that the ratio of certain messenger substances in the blood of pregnant women can reliably rule out pre-eclampsia and predict impending complications," reports Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Significant involvement of the Charité obstetrics team has led to new approaches to predicting the disease and its course. The researchers have published their findings in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

If pregnancy poisoning is detected too late, it can be dangerous for both mother and child. (Image: Romolo Tavani / fotolia.com)

Disease so far only poorly predictable
So far, the causes of preeclampsia, according to the scientists are not fully understood. Multi-organ disease is one of the main causes of complications during the second half of pregnancy. About two to five percent of expectant mothers are affected by the disease, with typical features include high blood pressure and increased excretion of protein in the urine. Often the pregnancy poisoning is recognized too late and then lead to the death of mother and child in the worst case. Based on the increased blood pressure and the protein excretions in the urine can predict the disease and the resulting complications only inaccurately, explain the doctors. In the current study, however, it was now possible to "determine a so-called cut-off value for the sFlt-1 / PlGF quotient, which reliably excludes the disease within a week and can also predict the onset of the disease and the resulting complications," the reports Charité.

More than 1,200 pregnant women examined
According to the researchers, the ratio of the proteins sFlt-1 and PlGF, both produced in the placenta and circulating in the maternal blood, plays an important role in the pathogenesis. By a blood test this quotient can be determined. Even in the absence of symptoms, it provides clues as to whether a woman will develop preeclampsia or complications caused thereby. In their study, the researchers examined the significance of the new indicator in a total of 1,273 pregnant women with suspected preeclampsia. In all participants, the "sFlt-1 / PlGF quotient in the blood was determined by means of a serum test," according to the Charité. The value was below 38, a pre-eclampsia could be excluded according to the researchers "with almost one hundred percent probability within a week."

Safety for the pregnant women
Exceeding the value of 38 resulted in the occurrence of preeclampsia with a probability of 36.7 percent within the next four weeks. The risk of developing maternal or pediatric complications of pre-eclampsia within the next four weeks was predicted to be 65.5% accurate. "The main problem with pre-eclampsia is that the symptoms are often ambiguous or the clinical picture is unclear," explains Dr. Stefan Verlohren from the Clinic for Obstetrics at the Charité, corresponding author of the study. The sFlt-1 / PlGF quotient can help "to better assess the likelihood of the disease occurring or its course." In this way, it could be "avoided that a pregnant woman delivered too early or treated too late." Above all it was it is possible to safely exclude the disease for one week and this contributes significantly to the reassurance of the patients. (Fp)