By Michael J. Haas, Senior
Writer
A North Carolina team has shown that fetal deficiency in adrenomedullin
resulted in mouse placental abnormalities similar to those found in
pre-eclampsia, thereby underscoring adrenomedullin's potential as a marker for
the indication.1 Future studies will need to replicate the findings
in other animal models and determine whether low adrenomedullin levels are
found in all pre-eclampsia cases or just a subset.
Pre-eclampsia
involves hypertension and proteinuria and occurs in about 5% of pregnant women.
The condition can lead to life-threatening seizures (eclampsia). Pre-eclampsia
is thought to involve insufficient remodeling of maternal uterine spiral
arteries, which are part of the uteroplacental vasculature that changes to
accommodate the need for low-resistance, high-capacity blood flow to the fetus.