Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica
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Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand · Jun 2019
ReviewThe role of angiogenic factors in the management of preeclampsia.
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder causing substantial maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. In the UK, its diagnosis currently depends upon new onset hypertension and proteinuria. There is a clinical need for enhanced screening to prevent unnecessary resource use and improve outcomes. ⋯ The soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1/placental growth factor ratio seems particularly promising as a screening measure, able to predict accurately the short-term absence of preeclampsia and suggest the likelihood of adverse events within 4 weeks. The ratio could be used to allocate specific management plans to patients according to risk. An understanding of angiogenic factors may also lead to new therapeutic options for a condition currently only curable by delivery, although it must be remembered that the factors are markers of underlying syncytiotrophoblast stress, which would not be resolved by targeting them.