Urine Test Could Diagnose Preeclampsia

(February 5, 2010) - Researchers say they have developed a simple urine test, that could be used here and around the world to rapidly predict and diagnose preeclampsia (Read about "Preeclampsia"), a common, but serious hypertensive complication of pregnancy. (Read about "Hypertension: High Blood Pressure" "Healthy Pregnancy")

Dubbed the "Congo Red Dot Test" by the research team, the test accurately predicted preeclampsia in a study of 347 pregnant women, allowing health care providers to offer better preventive care to pregnant women. The research was presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM) in Chicago.

The World Health Organization estimates that about 63,000 pregnant women die each year because of severe preeclampsia, as well as a related condition called eclampsia, which can cause sudden, convulsive seizures. (Read about "Seizures")

"There is a critical need in the developing world for low-cost diagnostics for preeclampsia," said lead researcher Irina Buhimschi, MD. "This test will help identify high-risk patients that should be transported from remote settings to facilities where there is access to specialized care for preeclampsia, such as magnesium sulfate therapy."

Buhimschi said that despite its effectiveness in preventing eclamptic seizures, magnesium sulfate is underutilized in developing countries. This is due in part to the lack of consistent and low-cost ways to identify preeclampsia patients who are in need of intervention, which the test could provide. She said that the test could also identify women who needed to deliver their babies immediately, in turn reducing the incidence of unnecessary early birth, because delivery is the only effective treatment for preeclampsia.