SYDNEY, May 3 (Xinhua) -- An Australian hospital on Thursday introduced the country's first blood test of its kind to help predict and address women's tendency to develop a potentially fatal pregnancy disorder following a global trial of the new procedure.
The test promises to identify women's likelihood of developing pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy disorder which can lead to dangerously high blood pressure in expectant mothers and damage their organ systems, according to the Royal Women's Hospital in Australia's Victoria state capital Melbourne.
One out of 20 pregnant women experiences pre-eclampsia, which may also lead to low birth weight for babies, premature birth and death due to a fall in the fetal supply of food and oxygen, said the hospital. The exact cause of the disorder remains unknown, but those with a history of the condition may be at higher risk of developing it.
The new test, called the pre-eclampsia ratio test (PERT), measures two proteins released from the placenta and their amount can indicate the likelihood of women developing the condition, said the hospital in a statement.
"This new test is a long-awaited and very important step forward," said the hospital's Director of Pregnancy Research Professor Shaun Brennecke, who led the Australian arm of the international study.
"Not only does this new test help diagnose pre-eclampsia, but even more importantly, it also helps predict who will and who will not develop pre-eclampsia, including those without clear symptoms or signs, over the following month," he said.
The only way to treat pre-eclampsia now is to end the pregnancy by delivering the baby even if it is many weeks from completing its full term, but the premature birth can have significant implications for the long-term health of the child, said Brennecke.
The test, which will be given to women who have suffered pre-eclampsia in a previous pregnancy or showed symptoms of the condition, can help healthcare professionals to better assess and treat patients at risk of the condition.
"This test allows clinicians to understand the severity of the pre-eclampsia and to decide the best time to deliver the baby," he said.
Current tests show that two-thirds of women with symptoms or signs suggestive of possible pre-eclampsia will test negative for the condition, Brennecke said.
"In the past, we admitted women to hospital for monitoring if we suspected they had pre-eclampsia. Now we can reassure the women who test negative that they are very unlikely to develop the condition in the next four weeks," he said.
"This significantly reduces anxiety, especially for women who have experienced pre-eclampsia in the past and therefore are at much higher risk of developing it again. It also allows us to focus our health resources on those at high risk for pre-eclampsia."