Prediction of preeclampsia-bench to bedside

Abstract

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) constitute the most common medical condition seen during gestation, effecting 1 in 10 pregnancies in the USA. Traditionally, preeclampsia (PE) is defined as a new onset of hypertension and either proteinuria or end-organ dysfunction after 20 weeks of gestation in a previously normotensive woman. Preeclampsia is a potentially life-threatening condition with widespread underlying endothelial dysfunction, and accompanying inflammation, vasoconstriction, and platelet activation. Women with preeclampsia are at an increased risk for life-threatening complications and progression to eclampsia. Worldwide, 10 to 15 % of maternal deaths are from preeclampsia and related complications. Traditionally, diagnosis of preeclampsia is made based upon presence of risk factors and clinical criteria. Diagnosis is challenging in asymptomatic women early in pregnancy as well as in nulliparous women as they lack obstetric history; however, it is well known that women with previous preeclampsia have a 14.7 % risk of the condition in the second pregnancy. Prediction of those at risk and early diagnosis is crucial to enable close surveillance of high-risk women in order to improve maternal and fetal outcomes. There has been much advance in our understanding of the pathogenesis of PE and in the field of angiogenic markers. However, no one test meets the criteria for a good biomarker. A multiparametric approach appears to be optimal as we await newer systems biology approaches to give us better insight into the pathogenesis of the disease.