A simple blood test could help doctors identify women in labor who are at risk for preeclampsia -; a leading cause of maternal death -; and take precautions to prevent it, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY ® 2024 annual meeting. Between 5% and 10% of pregnant women develop preeclampsia (sudden high blood pressure and protein in the urine), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Black women are 60% more likely to develop preeclampsia than white women, and more likely to die or have serious outcomes such as kidney damage, the CDC notes.
While preeclampsia can develop as early as the 20th week of pregnancy, the study focused on identifying women who were at risk for preeclampsia when they were admitted to the hospital in labor. Researchers have determined doctors can predict a woman's risk of developing preeclampsia by calculating the ratio of two blood proteins -; fibrinogen and albumin -; measured in routine blood tests done when women in labor enter the hospital. Fibrinogen is involved in blood clotting and inflammation, while albumin helps maintain fluid balance and carries hormones, vitamins and enzymes throughout the body.
Both can be disrupted with preeclampsia -; fibrinogen may be elevated, albumin may be reduced, or both can occur. There is no universally established normal value for this fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR), which can range from 0.05 to 1 or higher.
Higher FAR values are often associated with increased infl.