Blood test a life-saver for babies

PREGNANT women will be able to take a simple blood test to determine whether they will develop potentially deadly pre-eclampsia.

Blood test

PREGNANT women will be able to take a simple blood test to determine whether they will develop potentially deadly pre-eclampsia.

One of the most common complications of pregnancy, pre-eclampsia affects five to 10 per cent of pregnancies and results in hypertension and protein in the mother's urine, usually in the second half of the pregnancy.

The blood test will be available in NSW within a year and it is hoped it will form part of the 12-week screening process.

Without treatment, it can progress to eclampsia, marked by extreme high blood pressure and can lead to stroke, kidney, liver and heart failure.

The condition kills about seven women a year. The only cure is to deliver the baby, so the condition also claims 700 to 1000 babies a year, deliv- ered prematurely to save the mother's life.

"A jumbo jet full of babies die each year due to pre-eclampsia, mostly due to their prematurity," said Professor Annemarie Hennessy from the University of Western Sydney, who also heads up Pearls Pre-eclampsia Research Laboratories.

"What the blood test will do is those who are identified as at high risk will receive more antenatal care."

A 2008 study led by Dr Jane Woolcock, an obstetrician from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Professor Hennessy followed 150 pregnant women and found the blood test could "diagnose pre-eclampsia a maximum of eight weeks before the onset", paving the way for commercial development of the screening test.

"It's just a blood test for a tiny protein in mum's blood and it can determine the likelihood of developing pre-eclampsia later on," said Dr Woolcock, adding the test was highly accurate.

"We should be able to pick up 94 per cent of women who are going to develop pre-eclampsia as a result."

Although the causes of pre-eclampsia are still considered a mystery, the high blood pressure marker can mean the placenta is becoming toxic.

"The blood test would give us an additional powerful tool to allow us some flexibility and to determine if high blood pressure in pregnancy is the nasty sort or not so we can tailor our care," Professor Hennessy said.

Dr Woolcock added: "If we have more notice, we can prevent problems like high blood pressure with medication, pick up early com- plications and prepare for the event of a premature birth improving outcomes for babies."

At present, pre-eclampsia related premature birth accounts for 10 per cent of all neonatal beds.