Reported just a few hours ago by the BBC:
“Scientists say they have identified genetic errors that appear to increase a pregnant woman’s chance of getting the potentially life-threatening condition called pre-eclampsia.
Around four in every 100 women develops this problem of high blood pressure and leaky kidneys during pregnancy.
Now researchers have found faulty DNA may be to blame in some cases, PLoS Medicine journal reports.
The discovery could lead to new ways to spot and treat those at risk, they say.
The US researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis analysed DNA from over 300 pregnant women.
DNA analysis revealed a few genetic errors shared by five of the 60 otherwise healthy women and seven of the 40 “higher-risk pregnancy” women who developed pre-eclampsia.
The genes on which the errors were identified (MCP factor I and factor H) play a role in regulating immune response and the researchers believe this could explain their possible link to pre-eclampsia.
Scientists have suspected that problems with the immune system provoke many cases of pre-eclampsia because women with lupus and certain other autoimmune diseases – like 250 of the women in the study – have an increased risk of the disorder.
The researchers now plan to study more pregnant women and other genes to further their understanding.