Source: American Society of Nephrology; the Preeclampsia Foundation

Pre-eclampsia is a heart condition that occurs only during and after pregnancy which can affects both the mother and baby.  It occurs in at least 5-8% of all pregnancies.  Pre-eclampsia is a rapidly progressive condition commonly starting with high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. Swelling, sudden weight gain, headaches and changes in vision are important symptoms, however, some women report few or no symptoms. Pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive (high blood pressure) disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death. Pre-eclampsia is thought to lead to 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year.  Risk factors include: multiple pregnancies; obesity; diabetes; teen pregnancy; first pregnancy

Researchers at the esteemed Mayo Clinic have reviewed the develoment of a simple test which can be performed during pregnancy and which could predict which women will develop pre-eclampsia.  The test detects specific kidney cells in a woman’s urine.  Out of 15 women studied, all of whom developed pre-eclampsia, all tested positive for the cells, called podocytes.  Although carried out on a very small number of women, the researchers say the test is highly accurate for predicting pre-eclampsia and could alert doctors early to the problem.

Ann Marie Barnard, chief executive of Action on Pre-Eclampsia, was quoted as commenting, “A large number of the 1,500 women who call our helpline each year are terrified of becoming pregnant again because they have suffered pre-eclampsia, often with tragic results” and “Any test which can predict whether they are going to get it again has to be welcomed – while it cannot stop the disease occurring, it would enable services to be more closely focused on them and more alert to signs of the disease developing.”

According to numerous sources on this subject, the current tests for prediciting which women might develop pre-eclampsia are still not reliable enough for recommended use.  If the results of this study can be repeated in larger groups of women, this could be a game changer.

Posted by: Gayle R. Lewis, Esquire