This campaign has now closed
Each year in the UK, 20,000 pregnancies are affected by pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a serious complication of human pregnancy which causes maternal and fetal deaths and has health implications for affected babies in adult life.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
Each year in the UK, 20,000 pregnancies are affected by pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a serious complication of human pregnancy which causes maternal and fetal deaths and has health implications for affected babies in adult life. In the current absence of therapies, a screening tool is a desirable alternative. Past studies have identified predictive markers in the maternal bloodstream, but none show the necessary accuracy. Sparks researchers propose to measure and combine these markers simultaneously, greatly enhancing their predictive capabilities. Such an approach is already used for Downs’ syndrome. Combining these markers will provide a more powerful approach to identifying women at greatest risk. Early detection will improve antenatal care and pregnancy outcome.