A Simple Blood Test Could Detect A Deadly Disorder In Pregnant Women
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While pregnancy can be easy breezy for most parts of it, there are chances that a complication may arise. But, most of the times, the complication can be taken care of if detected in time. What is needed though is the awareness to spread about how a simple test can make things much simpler for an expecting mom. Here, we are going to be talking about one such scenario.
There was a recent report of a soon-to-be mom, Leigh Ann Torres, who experienced some unusual symptoms in her 29th week of pregnancy (1). She gained over 14 pounds all of a sudden, with her hands and legs becoming terribly swollen (2). When she visited a doctor in Texas, a test detected the presence of protein in the urine. This is considered a tell-tale symptom of a progressive disorder known as preeclampsia (3).
Several other symptoms that mark the presence of this disorder are decrease in blood platelets, incessant high blood pressure, or visual disturbance and headache, among others. And, the major concern is that preeclampsia may proceed towards a more serious disorder eclampsia, which might cause seizures or even coma (4).
Despite all these clear indications, Leigh was asked to return home with a prescription of some over-the-counter method to constantly monitor and keep a track of her own blood pressure. Apart from this, she was just asked to take a bed rest. After a week, when the doc observed that there were no improvements, he asked her to go to a hospital. She went into labor the very same day and gave birth to two beautiful little princesses. But, they were nine weeks early and had to be kept in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to provide some breathing assistance. The girls are healthy and could later go home.
While this story might sound pretty terrifying, it is quite a typical scenario. The preeclampsia symptoms don’t appear until the 20th week of gestation. And, by this time, the doctors don’t have any option but to either closely monitor the expecting mommy or to deliver the baby early. There are about two to eight percent of pregnant women who suffer from preeclampsia despite having no prior risk factors (5).
While there have been new screening protocols to detect preeclampsia a little earlier during pregnancy, they are quite complex and can be expensive to implement. So, researchers are now working on figuring out a simple, inexpensive, and portable test.
Though no one is quite sure about the mysterious origins of this disease, the placenta and supply of blood are considered to play a crucial role (6). Perhaps, that is why one of the most common cures for preeclampsia is said to be the placenta’s delivery. For years now, the research has been limited though due to the small quantities of samples present.
However, things may have changed now for good. A fetal medicine professor at King’s College London, Kypros Nicolaides, has led a 2018 study. As per the study, preeclampsia can be detected during the first trimester of pregnancy itself with the help of a mix of 17 tests. This test combination is being known as the Screening Program for Preeclampsia (SPREE) (7).
The test combines the medical history of a patient with the maternal risk factors. What it tests for are the four predictors of the disorder between the 11th and 13th week of gestation. The aforementioned predictors are blood flow to the womb, blood pressure of the expecting mom, and the level of two hormones in the placenta- placental growth factor and plasma protein-A. The study, which involved over 16,000 women, was able to detect 82 percent of such preterm cases related to pleeclampsia.
While this study is still not a practical solution for clinics in developing countries, several other research is going on to find a more convenient solution. And, we will hopefully be delivered with one such solution soon. Keep going, all you incredible scientists!
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