Better knowledge of the origin of pre-eclampsia has led to the development of a simple blood test that detects a hormone, placental growth factor (PLGF), produced by the placenta that falls to very low levels in women with the early-onset and severe forms of the disease.
A recently published international study has confirmed that PLGF can be measured reliably and quickly within 15 minutes using the Alere Triage system. This evaluation found that the Alere PLGF test performed well when compared to diagnoses made by consultant obstetric clinicians involved in academic research in this area. It also established this new test for early-onset pre-eclampsia has a high clinical sensitivity and supported its reliability in identifying the disease.
"Triage PLGF has the potential to remove the uncertainty in clinical decision-making at the point of care, without delay, in women presenting with the signs and symptoms of pre-eclampsia before 35 weeks," noted the authors of the study. "It is in these pregnancies where a novel marker that directly correlates with the underlying pathology might have greatest clinical application."
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