Blood Test May Identify Women In Labor Who Are At Risk For Preeclampsia, Study Suggests

HealthDay (10/21, Thompson) reports, “A routine blood test can identify women in labor who are at risk for preeclampsia, a high-blood pressure condition that’s a leading cause of maternal death, a new study finds.” Researchers found that physicians “can predict a woman’s risk of developing preeclampsia by looking at her levels of two blood proteins – fibrinogen and albumin – when she enters the hospital for delivery.” Study results indicate that “women with an elevated fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio could have as much as a 41% increased risk of preeclampsia.” The findings were presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ annual meeting.