A new study that was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology shows promise in the search for the treatment of one of the most dangerous and devastating complications of pregnancy, preeclampsia. Researchers discovered that using apheresis to remove a serum protein called soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Sflt-1) may help pregnant preeclamptic women delay delivery.
What is preeclampsia? It is a complication of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure and kidney damage that happens often during the third trimester or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In fact, it complicates around 10% of pregnancies worldwide, Mayo Clinic reports.
According to Medical News Today, the only plausible treatment up to date is the removal of the developing child and the placenta from the uterus. Hence, this leads to early childbirth even before the expected date of delivery. Most infants born to preeclamptic mothers are preemies.
Now, researchers have come up with an alternative treatment to ensure that the mother will give birth on time by safely delaying childbirth. The process includes the removal of serum protein called soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Sflt-1) may help pregnant women with severe preeclampsia safely delay delivery.
Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in a press release as reported by Medscape, "Based on recent advances in the understanding of this condition, we and others are developing treatments for preeclampsia to allow women to safely prolong their pregnancy if they are suffering from very preterm preeclampsia."
After conducting an open pilot study, the blood of the patient is placed through a machine wherein a material will bind with sFlt-1 as the blood goes back to the circulation without the said protein. Pregnant women who have preeclampsia were tested on the machine.
The researchers found out that those who were treated were able to sustain their pregnancy for eight more days while those who underwent the treatment for many times, were able to sustain for 15 days more. Even just for a couple of days, it means a lot especially for preeclamptic women who often give birth prematurely causing severe prematurity among infants.
"Prolonging pregnancy allows the baby to mature, markedly reducing complications," added Dr. Thadhani.