BRITISH boffins have found the cause of pregnancy killer pre-eclampsia, they said yesterday.
The condition is triggered by a protein which makes blood vessels constrict.
That leads to high blood pressure - and kills 50,000 mums-to-be and ½million babies around the world each year.
Now experts at Cambridge University hope the results of a 20-year study will save hundreds of lives every year and pave the way for improved treatment.
Pre-eclampsia was linked to levels of oxygen in the blood and a protein called angiotensinogen.
Scientists realised pregnant women are at greater risk because they have more oxygen in their bodies for their unborn babies.
And further research at the University of Nottingham proved high levels of oxidised angiotensinogen can be found in women with pre-eclampsia.
Cambridge researcher Dr Aiwu Zhou said: "Although we primarily focused on pre-eclampsia, the research also opens new leads for future research into the causes of hypertension in general."
Drugs currently used to treat high blood pressure focus on the later stages of the condition. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/woman/health/health/3168686/Scientists-find-cause-of-pregnancy-killer-pre-eclampsia.html#ixzz11et3R7SB
**Published in "The Sun"
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