SYDNEY, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- An Australian PhD student has shown that a simple general health questionnaire and blood test can highly accurately predict the likelihood of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy, with the potential to save thousands of lives worldwide.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia revealed the study on Monday, done by PhD candidate Enoch Anto, which showed that the results of the questionnaire and blood test were able to accurately predict the development of preeclampsia in almost 80 percent of cases.
Preeclampsia is a disease affecting pregnant women, and is currently responsible for the death of 76,000 mothers and 500,000 babies each year, primarily in the developing world.
To conduct the study, Anto tested 593 pregnant women in the African country of Ghana using the Suboptimal Health Questionnaire, originally developed in 2009 by Professor Wei Wang from ECU's School of Health and Medical Sciences.
The test scores for fatigue, heart health, digestion, immunity and mental health, providing an overall "suboptimal health score" that can help predict chronic diseases.
By analyzing the results of his respondents, Anto found that 61 percent of women who scored high on the questionnaire went on to develop preeclampsia, compared with just 17 percent of women who scored low.
The women were then given blood tests measuring calcium and magnesium levels, with the combined results providing an astonishingly accurate prediction of preeclampsia.
Anto said that the best part of the outcome is that preeclampsia is very treatable once identified, meaning early warning could save thousands of lives.
"In developing nations, preeclampsia is a leading cause of death for both mothers and babies. In Ghana, it's responsible for 18 percent of maternal deaths," Anto said.
"But it can be treated using medication that lowers blood pressure once diagnosed."
"Both blood tests for magnesium and calcium and the Suboptimal Health Questionnaire are inexpensive, making this ideally suited to the developing world where preeclampsia causes the most suffering," Anto said.
