South Africa trials a potential cure for common — & sometimes deadly — pregnancy complication

There is currently no cure for pre-eclampsia‚ a pregnancy complication‚ which can be deadly for the mother or the baby if the baby is born too early.

Pre-eclampsia is where the placenta releases toxins in the body that can damage blood vessels and lead to organ failure in pregnant women.

It also causes high blood pressure in pregnant women‚ which can lead to strokes or heart attacks.

In South Africa‚ pre-eclampsia is one of the most common causes of maternal death.

story_article_left1

Now a University of Stellenbosch researcher‚ Dr Cathy Cluver‚ is leading a trial giving a common drug used for heartburn and indigestion to pregnant women with the condition to see if it stops it.

Australia’s University of Melbourne researchers discovered that this common drug‚ known as Nexium‚ stops toxins being created by the placenta.

The first study on the drug was published by the University of Melbourne researcher Dr Natalie Hannan who said: "We were astonished to find these common drugs switch off the production of toxins from the pre-eclamptic placenta and protect blood vessels from further injury."

More trials are planned for Australia later in year, while over 100 women have been recruited for the South African trial.

The study of the drug in pregnant mothers with pre-eclampsia is being conducted in South Africa because the condition affects women in developing countries more and a cure is more likely to have an impact here.

Cluver‚ a gynaecologist and obstetrician from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University‚ is conducting the trial in collaboration with researchers from the Translational Obstetrics Group at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

The current cure for pre-eclampsia is removing the placenta from the women‚ which means they have to deliver their babies early.

"Late in a pregnancy it is fairly safe to deliver a baby‚ but when it is early in the pregnancy‚ before the baby is fully developed ‚ delivery could be dangerous‚ or even fatal‚ to the baby‚” said Cluver.

The drug is being given to South African women with pre-eclampsia between 26 and 32 weeks of pregnancy to try and help them carry the child safely until 34 weeks.

"We know that if we deliver babies at 34 weeks they do pretty well‚ and that’s why we try and get the pregnancy to 34 weeks. We deliver the babies even if the moms are doing well‚ because of the risk to the mom‚” Cluver said.

“If this trial shows a difference it may be the first successful treatment for this devastating condition. This would be a breakthrough in medical practice‚” Cluver said. - TMG Digital/The Times