A Questionnaire May Help Determine if Preeclampsia Can Develop

• Scientists from Australia develop a new method for determining if women are prone to Preeclampsia.
• This medical condition is potentially dangerous for both the fetus and the mother if left without treatment.
• The research team working on this task develop an easy and inexpensive method for testing.

About the Research

Researchers working on the new Preeclampsia testing technique come from Edith Cowan University, in Perth Western Australia. Findings from the research are available through the EPMA Journal.

Preeclampsia testing through a Questioner

Preeclampsia is a condition that causes high blood pressure in women that didn’t have it before their pregnancy. Furthermore, they have high levels of protein in their urine and they often swell in their feet, legs, and hands. Also, if the women do not get the necessary treatment for the condition it can develop into eclampsia. If this does occur the woman and child may have serious health issues. For more information on both Preeclampsia and Eclampsia check out this article.

Even though this condition is common among women there are no easy and inexpensive tests for it. That is why the team from ECU wants to further the technique made by one professor from their university.

Back in 2009, professor Wei Wang made The Suboptimal Health Questionnaire. This questionnaire helps medical workers determine scores for heart health, fatigue, immunity, digestion, and mental health. For this study, the team took note of 593 Ghanaian pregnant women’s answers.

After comparing the results from the questionnaire with the blood tests the research team came to a decisive conclusion. Their results show that 61% of women that had a high score on the test develop Preeclampsia during their pregnancy. On the other hand, only 17% of women with a low score develop the condition. Furthermore, at the end of the testing process, the team had an 80% accuracy rate in determining Preeclampsia.

Related article: Intake of Paracetamol During Pregnancy May Influence the Behavior of Children.

Limitation

• The testing method needs validation from other countries before we can determine if it is effective enough.
• Other factors that contribute to the development of the disease also need to be part of the questionnaire.

Sources

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-10/ecu-stp102119.php

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13167-019-00183-0