HealthThis Nov. 2005 file photo shows future parents awaiting the arrival of their first child in Carlsbad, Calif. When you're expecting a baby, you hope nothing goes wrong. But at least one in 20 pregnant patients develops a scary complication called preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder that kills 70,000 women and 500,000 babies worldwide every year. New blood tests promise to help doctors predict and manage the condition. There was no way to know when it might strike — until now.
Once you have preeclampsia, it can progress rapidly and cause organ damage, stroke, preterm birth, slow growth in the baby and other problems.The primary treatment for preeclampsia is to deliver the baby or manage the condition until the baby can be delivered. People with severe preeclampsia are usually hospitalized and may be given medicines to lower blood pressure, prevent seizures and help the fetus’ lungs develop.
“They absolutely represent an exciting advancement, especially when you look at the field of preeclampsia and the fact that there’s been very little new introduced to the field in decades,” said Eleni Tsigas, CEO of the nonprofit Preeclampsia Foundation. She lost one baby and also nearly died because of undiagnosed preeclampsia about two decades ago, and developed it again in her second pregnancy and gave birth to a son who spent time in neonatal intensive care.
The tests could also help speed up the development of new treatments, he said, because researchers can identify patients at risk who might be willing to join studies.