Pre-eclampsia and hypertension in pregnancy linked to 19 gene variants

It is unknown why blood pressure increases during some pregnancies.A better understanding of genetic relatedness could lead to a risk score that assesses an individual’s risk of developing pregnancy complications

Along David Cox

Nineteen genetic variants are associated with the development of pre-eclampsia or hypertension during pregnancy. More research is needed, but this could lead to a genetic risk score that measures an individual’s risk of developing either condition.

So-called gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia are both defined as high blood pressure during pregnancy. The latter is also diagnosed by looking for proteins in the urine that may be signs of kidney damage.

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