Early test for pregnancy risk will save lives

A SIMPLE test for a life-threatening complication in pregnancy has been developed by Scottish researchers, raising hopes it could help thousands of mothers and babies.

The researchers at Glasgow University have shown it is possible to identify women at risk of developing pre-eclampsia up to ten weeks earlier than is now the case.

The condition - pregnancy-induced high blood pressure - kills up to ten women a year in the UK and is linked to the deaths of 1,000 unborn babies. The new test could mean mothers-to-be in danger of developing pre-eclampsia can be more closely monitored earlier in their pregnancy and their babies given the best chance of survival.

Scientists now plan to test the technique further before rolling it out across the NHS and in other countries.

Pre-eclampsia affects up to 10 per cent of pregnant women and can only be cured by giving birth, often meaning babies are born prematurely. There is no routine test for the condition, meaning sufferers are only diagnosed once they start experiencing serious symptoms.

Researchers from Glasgow's Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, working with German biotech company Mosaiques Diagnostics, have developed a technique which can identify which women may go on to develop pre-eclampsia with a test that detects subtle changes in the balance of thousands of proteins found in the body.

Lead researcher Dr Christian Delles said: "Once a woman has pre-eclampsia it is a severe disease and many things are disrupted. It is simple to diagnose once it has occurred but if you want to diagnose it earlier you need a more sensitive test."

The researchers recruited 2,385 pregnant women from the Glasgow area. In 180 of the women, urine samples were taken and proteins examined. This group had factors which put them at greater risk of pre-eclampsia, such as obesity. Twenty of the women went on to develop the condition.

By examining changes in proteins, the researchers were able to identify those who might go on to develop pre-eclampsia around seven months into pregnancy.

Delles said: "If you develop pre-eclampsia there are more subtle changes early on. So we took a urine sample and looked at many thousands of proteins to see if there was any difference in women who went on to develop pre-eclampsia."

The researchers found they could pick up signs of pre-eclampsia from the proteins at week 28 of the pregnancy, which is around eight to ten weeks before the condition normally appears.

The scientists believe with further refinement of the test, they could pick up signs even earlier and women identified as being at risk of pre-eclampsia could receive more intensive monitoring during the latter stages of their pregnancy.

If it is known that a baby might need to be delivered prematurely, treatment with steroids can also be given in advance to help with their development.

The British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has said the condition causes complications in 2-3 per cent of UK pregnancies - almost 20,000 per year - and around 1,000 UK babies die each year from its effects, many due to premature birth.

Baby charity Tommy's says women with pre-eclampsia can have difficulty breathing, experience fits, and suffer liver and kidney failure. The most severe cases can be fatal. Pre-eclampsia is even more serious in Third World countries, where women receive little monitoring during their pregnancies.

The researchers now want to go on to apply the test - which currently costs around 200 - in a bigger group of women.

Professor Lucilla Poston, from Tommy's, said: "By identifying women at risk of pre-eclampsia as soon as possible, we are then able to prioritise their care and monitor their pregnancies more carefully, reducing the risks to both mother and baby."

'A test means you can be better prepared for what's to come'

Pre-eclampsia case

Orianna Pavit is one mother who understands the dangers of pre-eclampsia, which she suffered during the birth of her son three years ago. At the time she was 34 weeks' pregnant.

"I had been getting a lot headaches and I was getting flashing lights as well, so I phoned my midwife and she called me straight in," said 35-year-old Orianna. "I had my blood pressure taken and they found that it was high and we were sent straight down to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. It was there that we were made aware of the seriousness of the situation."

Her condition was monitored weekly with checks at the ERI, and at 39 weeks it was noticed that her condition had deteriorated, so doctors decided to induce her baby. Her son Roddy was finally delivered with forceps, and the two of them spent the night in the high dependency ward before being moved to a normal ward.

Now Orianna and her husband Stewart are expecting another child. Having been diagnosed with a liver condition related to her pregnancy, doctors are keeping a close eye on her blood pressure, and she has already spent a night in a hospital when it rose. Now 33 weeks into her pregnancy, she is expected to be induced at 38 weeks to avoid complications.

Orianna believes that a test to detect the condition earlier will be a great help for other expectant mums. "If pre-eclampsia can be detected earlier and you know your chances of getting it are higher than normal then you can get yourself better prepared for what is to come," she said.