A breakthrough blood test could now help reduce the risk of premature births by detecting in advance if the pregnant woman is at risk of her baby coming too soon.
The test has been developed by a team of scientists from Australia and North America, reports ABC.
The team from the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, the University of Western Australia and the University of Toronto have said they recorded a nearly 90% accuracy rate of risk in the 2,000 women they tested.
This blood test would have far reaching possibilities, should it be trialled worldwide – babies born preterm are at risk of death, as well as a whole other host of implications such as disabilities and conditions like cerebral palsy and brain injuries.
“Globally, 15 million babies are born prematurely each year, one million of them do not survive,” says Associate Professor Craig Pennell from UWA's School of Women's and Infants' Health. “In Australia there are over 26,000 pre-term babies each year.”
“Of those babies about 4,000 will have disability related to preterm birth.”
He continued: “We've identified six genes out of the 21,000 that exist and based on the pattern of those genes being turned off or on, when you couple that with clinical information it appears very effective at predicting preterm birth.”
“One of the biggest problems with premature birth is that it is very hard to predict in the middle of pregnancy which deliveries will occur before 37 weeks gestation.”
“Our new test will enable women at high risk early access to medical care which will reduce the rate of preterm birth.
“In particular, in remote areas, a simple blood test mid-pregnancy can guide which women can remain in their communities and which need to seek early specialist care.”
The research will now be trialled on Australian women, and if it goes well, the team are confident it will be rolled out worldwide as part of the foetal scan that takes place at around 1-20 weeks gestation.
