IMPACT OF THE FIRST PREECLAMPSIA SCREENING TEST ON THE OUTCOME OF PREGNANCY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52340/jecm.2026.01.06Keywords:
Preeclampsia, Infertility, Pregnancy complications, Maternal health, Screening testAbstract
Background. Hypertensive disorders are one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. One pregnant woman dies in 7 minutes (70 000 in total) and one fetus (525 000 in total) dies in a minute from preeclampsia (World Health Organization, 2019).
Aim. To assess the effectiveness of the first-trimester preeclampsia screening test.
Methods. A prospective observational study was conducted in 143 pregnant women with confirmed high risk of preeclampsia (group l) at the Zurab Sabakhtarashvili Reproductive Clinic in 2021-2025 (august). All participants underwent a preeclampsia screening test in the first trimester at 11-14 weeks of pregnancy, which included bilateral uterine artery Doppler, mean arterial pressure, and biochemical markers (placental growth factor). High-risk pregnant women were treated with 150 mg of acetylsalicylic acid throughout the pregnancy. In addition to that, in 2023-2024, 106 pregnant women who developed preeclampsia (group II) were studied at the Gudushauri National Medical Center. Logistic regression was used to exclude confounding factors.
Results: In 01.01.2021 – 31.07.2025, 950 preeclampsia screening tests were performed at Zurab Sabakhtarashvili Reproductive Clinic. In 503 cases were confirmed a high risk (53.4%). 143 pregnant women with high risk of preeclampsia (group I) were selected for a prospective observational study. 90.2% (129 pregnant women) of them did not develop preeclampsia, 9.8% (14 pregnant women) developed preeclampsia. Study shows that no problems with maternal or fetal health were observed in these 143 patients (maternal mortality - 0, fetal mortality - 0, hysterectomy - 0, maternal intensive care unit placement - 0.) A second group of 106 pregnant women who developed preeclampsia was studied separately. No one in this group had undergone a screening test. The following complications were noted in this group: fetal death - 13 (12.3%), hysterectomy - 5 (4.7%), maternal intensive care unit placement- 5 (4.7%). The difference in maternal and fetal adverse outcomes between the screened and unscreened groups was significant (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Our study shows that of 143 pregnant women who were found to be at high risk for preeclampsia by screening and who received appropriate treatment (daily 150 mg of acetylsalicylic acid), only 14 (9.8%) developed preeclampsia. No cases of serious maternal-fetal complications were reported.
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