Taking a simple blood sample on pregnant women could help doctors predict whether they will develop preeclampsia, which can progress to eclampsia or severe high blood pressure, months before symptoms show up.
According to an article in Science, around 1 in 20 pregnant women usually in their third trimester could experience this complication, leading to organ damage, stroke, and preterm birth. That disease ad other pregnancy-related high blood pressure disorders are the major causes of maternal death worldwide.
AI Used in Finding Fluctuations of Fetal Development in RNA
Preeclampsia is a complication among pregnant women that is characterized by high blood pressure with signs of organ damage, especially in the liver and kidneys, according to Mayo Clinic. It usually starts after the 20th week of pregnancy, even to normal blood pressure.
Due to that, doctors cannot predict when or if they will occur, which leads them to deliver the baby earlier than its due date. Science reported that usual methods of detecting them rely on biomarkers early in the pregnancy by calculating a woman's risk.
One of the factors they are looking at is race since many Black women tend to develop it and the woman's age and body mass index (BMI). However, only 4% of them go on to develop preeclampsia.
On the other hand, researchers of the new study used artificial intelligence (AI) to examine pregnant women's RNA to see any fluctuations of fetal development throughout pregnancy. Their strategy was built from previous studies that showed RNA could better determine fetal age than ultrasound.
The team compared the RNA from blood samples taken during the sixth month of pregnancy from 72 women who developed preeclampsia to 452 pregnant women with normal blood pressure. They found a specific signature on seven genes that affect placental development in 75% of those who later developed the condition.
Researchers reported n their study, titled "RNA Profiles Reveal Signatures of Future Health and Disease in Pregnancy," published in the journal Nature, that this is seven times better than the existing predicting methods. Andrea Edlow of Massachusetts General Hospital, who was not part of the study, commented that this could lead to new and more personalized treatment for preeclampsia.
New Test Could Generate False Positives
The new blood test offers a novel way of detecting preeclampsia in pregnant women to improve predictions, but it also showed doctors what is happening at a biological level in that person. The typical way of considering race as a risk factor was criticized by many because it is not built on genetics and could result in worse healthcare for minorities, says a previous report of Science.
On the other hand, the new test could generate false positives like those whose RNA pattern showed the risk for preeclampsia but ended up not developing the condition. Thomas McElrath, the study leader and a fetal-maternal socialist, suggests that those women who test positive should be advised to wear blood pressure cuff to monitor themselves and immediately contact their doctors if they develop high blood pressure.
For now, scientists are still developing the test to make it an ideal method for predicting preeclampsia risks as early as three months into the pregnancy. They also hope to use the test to predict other gestational complications in the future.
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