Source:
Nancy A. Melville
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/733413
December 1, 2010 (Denver, Colorado) — A simple measurement of key proteins in spot urine samples can detect preeclampsia in women during the early stages of pregnancy, according to research presented here at Renal Week 2010: American Society of Nephrology 43rd Annual Meeting.
Researchers in the United Kingdom report that an analysis of urine samples obtained before 20 weeks of gestation from 145 pregnant women who either did or did not develop preeclampsia allowed them to identify 5 protein peaks that predicted preeclampsia with 92% accuracy.
The clinical signs of preeclampsia typically do not appear until later in pregnancy, but the researchers theorized that because abnormal placentation or placental insufficiency is central to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, and placentation is complete by 18 weeks of gestation, changes in the urinary protein profile early in pregnancy might predict the development of the disease.
