News
Misfolded alpha-1 protein may be key to preeclampsia in pregnant women, Yale researchers report
Science Centric
Clues to the cause of preeclampsia, a common, but serious hypertension complication of pregnancy that has puzzled doctors and researchers for decades, point to proteins that misfold and aggregate, according to Yale School of Medicine researchers.
These misshapen proteins can be easily detected in the urine, affording a new approach to early diagnosis of the disease, the Yale researchers report in new findings presented at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine scientific meetings in San Diego, Calif.
The misfolded aggregates identified in preeclampsia are composed of a group of different proteins, including SERPIN-A1 (also known as alpha-1-antitrypsin).
Preeclampsia is one of the most common causes of death in pregnant women in the United States and is responsible for about 76,000 maternal deaths worldwide each year. It is also a leading cause of preterm delivery. Delivery is the only reliable treatment for preeclampsia, and establishing a correct diagnosis can be difficult, especially in women with preexisting hypertension, lupus or kidney disease.
