Protein analysis does not improve risk prediction for cardiovascular pregnancy problems

The results of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health showed that protein analysis during the first three months of pregnancy did not improve the prediction of people at high risk of suffering health problems associated with the birth of a baby. high blood pressure during pregnancy. The researchers studied whether protein samples from urine or blood could provide this information. This is important because there is an urgent need to better predict those at high risk of developing a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy. The study is the most comprehensive to date, based on protein analysis of blood samples taken early in pregnancy.

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Researchers analyzed 6,481 protein samples from 1,850 Student Participants who had their first pregnancy between 2010 and 2013 are eligible. Participants provided blood samples when they enrolled in the study, as well as during and after the second and third trimesters and for two to seven years after pregnancy. In different modeling equations, protein analysis was used to determine whether clinical information, including maternal age, cardiovascular risk and early pregnancy symptoms, could help identify 753 women with hypertension. The conditions assessed were gestational hypertension, which typically develops around 20 weeks into pregnancy. Also included was preeclampsia – a severe increase in blood pressure after this point, accompanied by organ damage and high levels of protein in the urine.

Researchers also found that people with high levels of the enzyme quiescin Sulfhydryl Oxase1 were more likely to have a higher risk of developing cancer.QSOX1Early in pregnancy, women who consumed (a protein that indicates cell growth) were twice as likely to have high blood pressure during pregnancy. Other studies have shown that higher QSOX1 levels in late pregnancy are associated with increased risk. The researchers note that this finding could help inform future research into pathways associated with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.

About 10 to 15 % women have hypertension during pregnancy, and this is associated with an increased risk of birth defects. Risks Having a pregnancy-related complication such as heart attack, stroke and, in extreme cases, death. Although the authors state that this result was negative, they note that it shows that other methods are needed to predict which women might have high blood pressure during pregnancy.