Preeclampsia is a potentially dangerous complication facing pregnant women, but new research suggests an experimental test may be able to get ahead of the illness.
Researchers at Kings College London say they’ve developed a new test that can predict which women will have the condition. Their findings were published Nov. 4 in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation.
“The test is designed to differentiate women with preeclampsia from those with high blood pressure alone,” study author Dr. Lucy Chappell, a clinical senior lecturer in obstetrics at King’s College, said in a press release. “Current tests for the condition only detect that it’s happening, rather than predicting it, and by that time the disease has progressed and has likely already caused organ damage.
Preeclampsia is a severe form of high blood pressure marked by excess protein in the urine. It affects about 8 to 10 percent of pregnant women in the U.S., according to the AHA. Symptoms that seem to occur with preeclampsia include persistent headaches, abdominal pain and blurred vision or light sensitivity.