Scientists at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) have developed a simple test to predict whether a pregnant woman with premature uterine contractions will give birth within the next seven days.
This innovative invention can save many premature babies, as its positive result is an indication of taking quick action to delay the birth or referring the mother to a specialized center.
Preterm babies are several dozen times more likely than the reported ones to develop health and life-threatening complications. Premature delivery is considered to be a delivery before the 37th week of pregnancy.
Nowadays, prematurity is the biggest problem that perinatal medicine has to deal with. Babies born a few weeks before their due date have a much greater risk of developing serious diseases, both in the short and long term. They include, among others respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis, intracranial bleeding, retinopathy of premature birth, retarded mental development or decreased immunity.
However, not all women who present to the hospital with premature contractions actually deliver prematurely. It is estimated that they constitute approx. 30 percent. this group. Therefore, it is important to distinguish which of the ladies are really at risk and only give them drugs and monitor them more carefully.
Researchers from the University of Gothenburg studied 142 pregnant women who were hospitalized at Sahlgrenska University Hospital between 1995 and 2005 for premature contractions, but without rupture of the membranes. Based on a thorough case study, they developed a method that can predict with high accuracy whether such a patient will actually give birth within seven days.
“Medical practice recommends delaying preterm labor as long as possible and administering cortisone during this time, which accelerates the development of the fetal lungs. For this, the mother is given antispasmodics. So it is extremely important to estimate with a high degree of probability whether a woman who comes to the hospital complaining of premature contractions is actually born too early, ”explains Dr. Panagiotis Tsiartas, obstetrician-gynecologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
The innovative method developed by his team is based on examining the blood of the expectant mother for the presence of two specific proteins and performing an ultrasound measurement of the length of the cervix. The blood test is a patent of scientists from Gothenburg.
Statistically, our method allows to predict premature birth with an accuracy of 75-80%. – says Tsiartas. Of course, more research is needed before it is available for general use. However, we hope that – if their results prove to be good – the test will contribute to the development of new methods of counteracting premature birth and the serious complications resulting from it, he adds.
An article describing the Swedish study has been published in the latest issue of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. (PAP)
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