Scientists at the Mayo Clinic (USA) presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology one test can predict which pregnant women will experience preeclampsia during pregnancy. The test detects the presence in the urine of a renal cell type, a factor indicative of this disorder.
The pre-eclampsia is a potentially fatal complication of advanced stages of pregnancy characterized by increased blood pressure and protein in the urine (proteinuria). This disorder occurs in about 5% of pregnant women.
The study, presented at the Kidney Week, held these days in Philadelphia (USA), researchers conducted the test, which detects the presence of podocytes in urine, 315 women had elapsed when half of pregnancy (before day 210). They also measured their blood pressure and the ratio protein / creatinine used to diagnose preeclampsia.
Of all participants, 15 developed this complication and eventually all of them had a positive urine test . While the 15 pregnant women who had hypertension and 44 just selected as controls and whose pregnancy was normal had negative tests.
Although it has been tested on a small number of women, the authors note that their high accuracy could help early detection of this condition. This could save thousands of lives each year.
