Diagnosis of preeclampsia risk

Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy that occurs in about 5-8% of patients and is characterized by hypertension (high blood pressure) and proteinuria (the appearance of protein in the urine). It usually develops after the 20th week of pregnancy. With severe preeclampsia, systemic disorders develop – lesions of the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system, visual disturbances in a pregnant woman, various complications in the fetus or newborns.

It is believed that preeclampsia occurs as a result of abnormal development of placental vessels. The processes leading to preeclampsia begin in the first trimester, but the clinical manifestations of the disease do not appear until the second or third trimester of pregnancy.

As a result of numerous studies in Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and other countries, it has been established that markers of angiogenesis, placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt–1), are highly sensitive and specific prognostically significant indicators of preeclampsia. A decrease in PlGF concentration and an increase in sFlt-1 concentration are recorded several weeks before the onset of clinical symptoms of preeclampsia and can serve as screening tests as early as the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. It is important to measure the ratio of sFlt-1 and PlGF levels during pregnancy. This study can play an important supporting role in confirming the diagnosis of preeclampsia.

Timely detection of prognostic signs of preeclampsia helps to reduce the incidence of complications, since taking appropriate measures in many cases allows timely correction of the developing pathological condition.

Thus, for early diagnosis of the threat of preeclampsia, it is necessary to determine the level of sFlt-1 and PlGF and the ratio of their concentrations in the first trimester of pregnancy (11-13 weeks) and in the second trimester (16-20 weeks) simultaneously with screening for fetal pathology.

In the laboratory of the European Medical Center, the study is carried out on a Cobas e411 electrochemiluminescence analyzer from F.Hoffman-La Roche" (Switzerland).

The test material is blood serum.  Blood is taken on an empty stomach at any of the EMC clinics.

The study is shown in single pregnancy.

It is also important to note that during the preliminary examination of patients planning pregnancy, it is advisable to pay attention to the blood levels of calcium and vitamin D.