Pre-eclampsia is one of the most common causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. However, the methods used to initially determine the presence of the disease have not changed in decades and rely on simple non-specific parameters. These markers are poor at predicting risk, and cases of pre-eclampsia often progress rapidly and unpredictably, warns Dawn Hannah.
A relatively new and more targeted approach to predicting the risk of pre-eclampsia is placental growth factor (PlGF), either in a laboratory or at the point of patient care, where it can provide results in as little as 15 minutes. This simple and rapid approach is helping to prevent the potentially lifethreatening complications of undiagnosed pre-eclampsia, alleviating the burden of unnecessary admissions on maternity wards, reassuring expectant mothers and their families, and reducing potential litigation costs for healthcare providers.
The impact of pre-eclampsia
Pre-eclampsia is defined by the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy as gestational hypertension accompanied by significant proteinuria, arising after the 20th week of gestation in a previously normotensive woman.1,2 Pregnancy-related hypertensive conditions – predominantly, but not only pre-eclampsia – affect between 2% and 10% of single pregnancies worldwide,2-4 depending on the demographics of each region, and around 6% in the UK,5 with a higher incidence in women of colour.6
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