生物标记物帮助预测孕妇子痫前症
发布时间：2013-12-17 09:38:12 来源：微测生物 点击量：次
孕妇的疾病检测一直是医学检验的一个难题。例如医生在临床很难区分孕妇高血压和子痫前症的区别。而子痫前症如果不能及时发现会造成孕妇器官损伤和胎儿并发症。现在研究人员发现一种新的生物标记物有望解决这一难题。伦敦大学国王学院的研究人员发现孕妇体内的PlGF（placental growth factor）蛋白和其患子痫前症风险有关。这项有625名孕妇参与的研究显示PIGF水平越低，孕妇患有该病风险越大。
详细英文报道：
In diagnosing pregnant women, doctors often struggle to tell the difference between run-of-the-mill high blood pressure and preeclampsia, a severe form of the ailment that can lead to organ damage and fetal complications. Now, a new biomarker has shown promise to better predict which women are at risk for the disease, lighting the way for early intervention and better outcomes.
In a study of 625 pregnant women published in Circulation, researchers at London's King's College discovered that low levels of the protein placental growth factor (PlGF) correlated with the development of preeclampsia, and a decline in PlGF led to an increased risk for premature delivery, pointing to an effective diagnostic.
To date, preeclampsia tests have been able only to detect whether a patient has already developed the disease, King's College's Lucy Chappell said, often providing results after the onset of symptoms like damage to the kidneys, liver and brain.
"The test identifies women at high risk for developing preeclampsia, so doctors can better monitor and treat the blood pressure," Chappell said in a statement. "It also prevents unnecessary hospitalizations of those who are not likely to develop preeclampsia."
Chappell and her colleagues believe tracking PlGF could help steer treatment of high-risk patients and better rule out women with basic hypertension, but the researchers recommend further study to determine how changing diagnostic and treatment methods affect the health of mothers and babies.
On the commercial side, Alere ($ALR) has developed a PlGF measuring test, called Triage, and is in the midst of the FDA process.
