Filtering a protein out of a pregnant person’s blood may help ease a dangerous complication of pregnancy.
In a study of 16 women with early preeclampsia, pulling a particular protein from their blood slightly lowered blood pressure and extended some pregnancies, researchers report April 27 in Nature Medicine. If larger trials confirm the results, the technique may one day be a treatment for the sometimes-fatal condition.
Preeclampsia affects 3 to 8 percent of people who give birth worldwide. “It doesn’t spare any races or ethnicities, and while there are some populations that are increased risk, for the most part, it affects really all women around the world,” says Ravi