Active clinical trials for "Pre-Eclampsia"

Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The morbidity and mortality of this condition arises from two main causes: 1) the lack of specific and sensible methods for its diagnosis and prognosis, 2) and the fact that the course of the disease is often unpredictability at its presentation and speed of progression. The majority of deaths are undoubtedly avoidable and are due to a substandard care. Nowadays it's known that preeclampsia is a placental disorder that is characterized by an unbalance of angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors. It has been recently proven that the ratio of sFlt-1 to PlGF in women who presented with a clinical suspicion of preeclampsia is useful distinguishing between women in whom preeclampsia would develop and those in whom it would not. A low ratio also predicted the absence of fetal adverse outcomes in the same time frame. In addition this ratio demonstrated to be useful to discriminate among patients that would developed maternal or fetal adverse outcome. Correct identification and diagnosis of women at risk could potentially prevent all these adverse outcomes thus, clinical experience suggests that early detection and monitoring are beneficial. EuroPE aims to provide evidence that the re-definition of pre-eclampsia as an entity caused by a placental unbalance of angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors and its incorporation in the diagnosis and classification of the disease would improve maternal and neonatal health. This will be an open, multicentre, international, randomised controlled trial with an intention-to -treat analysis. The study is pragmatic: it will be undertaken to reflect real clinical practice rather than the very tightly controlled circumstances of explanatory trials. The main objective of this study is to determine the effects of the use of the ratio as a diagnostic tool in the definition and classification of PE, as compared with its usual definition, in triage and delivery decisions and to see whether this new approach is able to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease later in life, even if they are otherwise healthy. The reason why this occurs is unclear but may be related to blood vessel damage and increased inflammation that occurs during the preeclamptic pregnancy and persists postpartum. The purpose of this investigation is to 1) determine the mechanisms contributing to this lasting blood vessel damage and chronic inflammation, and to 2) identify factors (both physiological and pharmacological) that mitigate these negative effects in order to inform better clinical management of cardiovascular disease risk in women who have had preeclampsia.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (including preeclampsia) are among the leading causes of pregnancy complications and maternal deaths worldwide. They also increase the risks to the babies. Numerous interventions have been suggested in order to reduce the rate of preeclampsia. Low-dose aspirin is the most beneficial prophylactic approach in this regard. Nevertheless, aspirin failure is not uncommon. The genetic, laboratory, and clinical factors associated with low-dose aspirin failure in the prevention of preeclampsia are largely unknown. The presence of a genetic variant in PAR4 receptor expressed on platelets, is associated with increased platelet function and possibly with aspirin failure.

The effect of breath awareness meditation on vital signs, health profile and fetal heart rate in pregnant women with preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a serious maternal condition affecting up to 5% of pregnancies from the general population and up to 30% of lupus pregnancies. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid- ASA) has been shown to reduce the risk of preeclampsia, by half, in women at high risk. Therefore, it is recommended that health professionals initiate aspirin early during pregnancy in women with lupus. Despite this recommendation, there are currently no studies of aspirin in women with lupus for this indication. This is a critical knowledge gap as aspirin could potentially have a large benefit in this high-risk population. The investigator will perform a RCT to evaluate the effect of a specifically designed patient educational tool on preeclampsia knowledge and ASA adherence in pregnant women with SLE. The research efforts will improve reproductive health of SLE women and the outcomes of offsprings.

Women who develop preeclampsia (PE) in pregnancy are at a greater risk for adverse cardiovascular health outcomes. PE is associated with vascular remodeling and functional changes in the postpartum, reflective of its systemic effects during gestation. Aberrant microvascular endothelial function has been demonstrated in pharmacological studies of formerly preeclamptic women. However, clinicians do not have any recourse for modulating vascular functional adaptations nor mitigating the future risk for maternal disease in the early postpartum. Low-dose aspirin (LD-ASA) is commonly prescribed to prevent PE and confers a consistently positive effect on mitigating PE risk when given in early gestation to women at risk. While the precise effect of LD-ASA on PE development is not fully understood, existing evidence suggests it may confer an array of anti-thrombotic, vasodilatory, pro-endothelial effects that mitigate the risk of disease. This study will be a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of LD-ASA administration over 6 months in the early postpartum in women with prior severe PE. Women will be identified, enrolled, and randomized to either treatment or placebo groups. Treatment groups will receive 81 mg daily oral aspirin, while control groups will receive an equivalent placebo pill. Vascular functional assessment at study outset will take place, combining laser speckle contrast imaging and iontophoresis of dilute vasoactive drug solutions. Blood and urine will be obtained for analysis of cardiometabolic and endothelial factors. Participants will take their assigned study drug for 6 months, after which a retest appointment will take place to assess vascular functional changes.

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of massage ball application on arterial blood pressure, fatigue and anxiety in pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia.

Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop and die of cardiovascular disease later in life, even if they are otherwise healthy. The reason why this occurs is unclear but may be related to blood vessel damage and increased inflammation that occurs during the preeclamptic pregnancy and persists postpartum. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the mechanisms contributing to this lasting blood vessel damage and to test whether taking a medication that blocks angiotensin II receptors (losartan) decrease these negative effects in women who have had preeclampsia. Identification of these mechanisms and treatment strategies may lead to better clinical management,of cardiovascular disease risk in these women. In this study we use the blood vessels in the skin as a representative vascular bed. Using a minimally invasive technique (intradermal microdialysis for the local delivery of pharmaceutical agents) we examine the blood vessels in a nickle-sized area of the skin in women who have had preeclampsia. We make these measurements after the subjects take a placebo and after they take losartan (an angiotensin II receptor blocker) to test whether this treatment improves vascular function in these women. As a compliment to these measurements, we also draw blood from the subjects and isolate the inflammatory cells to test how sensitive their inflammatory responses are following the placebo and the losartan treatment.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder affecting ~5-10% of pregnancies in the United States. Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop and die of cardiovascular disease later in life, even if they are otherwise healthy. The reason why this occurs is unclear but may be related to blood vessel damage and increased inflammation that occurs during the preeclamptic pregnancy and persists postpartum. Low dose aspirin (LDA; 75-150mg/daily) is currently the most effective and clinically accepted therapy for reducing preeclampsia prevalence in women at high risk for developing the syndrome. The purpose of this study is to interrogate the mechanisms by which LDA therapy mitigates persistent vascular dysfunction in postpartum women who have had preeclampsia. In this study, the investigators use the blood vessels in the skin as a representative vascular bed for examining mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction in humans. Using a minimally invasive technique (intradermal microdialysis for the local delivery of pharmaceutical agents) they examine the blood vessels in a dime-sized area of the skin in women who have had a history of preeclampsia. As a compliment to these measurements, they also draw blood from the subjects and isolate the inflammatory cells.

Study background High blood pressure during pregnancy is a worldwide health problem that can be dangerous to mothers and commonly causes premature birth and small babies. There is also growing evidence that mothers who suffer from high blood pressure in pregnancy, and their babies, have a higher risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease later in life. Previous studies have revealed detrimental changes in the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels of mothers, and their babies, who experience this common complication. These changes may explain their increased risk of later disease. The investigators have also learned through previous studies that tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), a molecule that has a role in blood vessel health, plays an important role in stabilising blood vessel function. Lower levels of BH4 are evident in both the placenta and the umbilical cord from mothers with high blood pressure. We, therefore, want to investigate how closely BH4 levels are related to clinical features of pre-eclampsia and whether altering levels of BH4, using a nutritional supplement, improves features of the disease such as blood vessel function. To do this, the investigators need to compare the levels of BH4 between mothers with pre-eclampsia, those taking the supplement and those without pre-eclampsia. The investigators also compare how the heart and blood vessels look and function in these groups using ultrasound methods, including echocardiography and fetal sonography. Study objectives CAREFOL-HT will assess how levels of BH4 differ in pregnant women with high blood pressure and if this is reflected in functional changes in the heart and blood vessels of these women. The investigators will also determine whether changing levels of BH4, using a tetrahydrofolate supplement (5-MTHF), changes blood vessel function.