BLOOD TEST THAT MAY PREDICT PRE-ECLAMPSIA

Women with possible pre-eclampsia are usually hospitalized for close monitoring. A reliable test that could spare women that hospital stay would have a "substantial impact.”

This condition occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy and it is marked by high blood pressure and it can be difficult to know when a woman is developing pre-eclampsia.

The test measures the ratio of two proteins in the blood. One, called sFlt-1, inhibits new blood vessels from forming; the other, known as PlGF, encourages blood vessel formation. Studies have shown that women with pre-eclampsia tend to have high levels of sFlt-1, but relatively low levels of PlGF -- a sign of compromised blood flow to the placenta. This test is  a week one-week prediction.