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Hormone Test for Eclampsia

From: C-reuters@clari.net (Reuters)
Subject: Hormones may point to pregnancy danger
Organization: Copyright 1997 by Reuters
Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 17:01:25 PDT

A team at Oxford University's John Radcliffe Hospital said inhibin A, activin A and proalphaC-containing inhibins, molecules that all have a role in regulating hormones, were all higher in women with pre-eclampsia.

In a preliminary report in the Lancet medical journal, they said their findings could point to a test for the condition.

Pre-eclampsia affects seven percent of first-time mothers and can suddenly send a pregnant woman's blood pressure soaring to dangerously high levels.

It can lead to eclampsia -- seizures that can be fatal. It also creates a risk of premature birth and of small babies at risk of a variety of complications.

The researchers said tests in 20 women with pre-eclampsia, and 20 healthy pregnant women, showed those with the condition had higher levels of the molecules.

Wednesday, U.S. researchers said they had discovered a defect in the placenta that could cause pre-eclampsia.

In a normal pregnancy, the placenta sends out into the uterine wall finger-like projections of cells, called cytotrophoblasts. They begin to mimic the cells that are found inside blood vessels, and eventually they break down the vessels, allowing the mother's blood to nourish the fetus and carry away waste.

But in pre-eclampsia, the placenta does not invade the uterus adequately and the cells do not manage to mimic blood vessels, the researchers at the University of California at San Francisco said.