The pre-eclampsia or pregnancy – specific hypertensive disease (HDP), which affects women during pregnancy, is known in the medical field to bring complications for both the mother and the baby.
It is characterized by an increase in blood pressure in pregnant women who previously had normal pressure levels.
Among the manifestations are excessive sweating on the hands and feet, fluid retention and swelling in the legs. As they are quite common, it causes them to be confused with normal symptoms of pregnancy itself.
Read more: Can pregnant women take dipyrone? Does it harm the baby?
The pictures can vary: they occur slowly and last a long time or they occur suddenly.
The condition, if not detected, can evolve into eclampsia , representing risks to the health of the mother and baby, leading to the need for premature births and death.
In order to reduce the risks of this disease, a new study published in Lancet’s E-Clinical Medicine , revealed that through a simple urine test it is possible to detect preeclampsia in pregnancy.
This is the Congo Red Dot Paper Test (CRD), which is able to identify the presence of the disease through the patient’s urine and takes only 3 minutes.
How is the test?
CRD basically checks for one of the characteristic symptoms of the disease, the presence of proteins in the urine.
For this, the scientists developed a device that uses a special red dye, capable of reacting to the substances present in the urine.
The detection time is only 3 minutes, the performance is fast and the results have shown promise in the rapid detection of pre-eclampsia.
Rapid diagnosis
For this type of condition, in which the disease can affect both the baby’s life and the mother’s, it is essential that there is equipment that makes the diagnosis quickly and safely.
The sooner the disease is detected, the more likely the treatment is to be effective against the disease.
To assess the accuracy of the test, 346 pregnant women were evaluated. The results showed that the test was accurate in 86% of the cases, being considered a high value and, therefore, very efficient.
With the agility of the result and the low cost of realization, the conditions of pressure changes during pregnancy can be treated more efficiently, reducing the risks to the mother and baby.
Pre-eclampsia is a dangerous condition that can occur especially after the 20th week of pregnancy. Associated with the high rates of premature birth and damage to the health of the mother and baby, early detection reduces risks and optimizes treatment.
Therefore, it is important to invest in innovations, such as rapid testing, to bring more security and quality of life for women.
