Preeclampsia Progress: Blood test for predicting pregnancy problems
By Nathan Seppa
A natural compound that constricts blood vessels is overabundant in some women who develop preeclampsia or another late-term complication of pregnancy, researchers find. Testing for the substance might help doctors identify some women at risk for preeclampsia before they develop high blood pressure and other symptoms. The findings also hint that the compound may play a role in causing the perplexing condition, as may a protein identified earlier this year (SN: 3/8/03, p. 147: Pregnancy Woe Uncovered: Protein may underlie preeclampsia).
The focus of the new work, the substance called asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), works by inhibiting production of a blood vessel dilator, nitric oxide. Vessels in the uterus must dilate to supply a fetus with adequate oxygen and nourishment.