New pre-eclampsia blood test for mums

NHS England is set to make PLGF testing more widely available, helping to make pre-eclampsia less of a threat for mums-to-be.

Those who develop pre-eclampsia have dangerously high blood pressure which can damage vital organs, with the condition currently affecting tens of thousands of pregnancies each year. Those at higher risk needing to be very closely monitored and may have to have their baby delivered early if the condition becomes too severe despite treatment.

However, it can be managed if spotted early enough. The PLGF (placental growth factor) test tells doctors if a woman is at high, medium or low risk. Trials of the new PLGF blood test, which costs about £70, show it speeds up diagnosis, meaning life-threatening complications to the mother and baby can be avoided.

More than 1,000 women at 11 UK maternity units took part in the trials during their second and third trimesters. Using PLGF alongside regular blood pressure and urine checks cut the average time to diagnosis from four days to around two.

Earlier diagnosis was linked with a lower chance of serious complications - 5.3 per cent (24 of 447 women diagnosed with usual checks) versus 3.8 per cent (22 of 573 women diagnosed with usual checks plus PLGF).

Lucy Chappell, lead project researcher from King's College London, said: "This really is going to make a difference to women. The challenge for doctors is spotting which pregnancies are high risk and need closer monitoring. PLGF helps us reach that diagnosis earlier."

Prof Tony Young, from NHS England, added: "The NHS, with partners in government, will be making this test more widely available across the NHS as part of our plans to ensure as many patients as possible can benefit from world-class health innovations."