HealthDay News — According to a recommendation statement from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), published in JAMA, pre-eclampsia screening with blood pressure measurements during pregnancy is recommended.
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues from the USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the accuracy of screening and diagnostic tests for pre-eclampsia and the benefits and harms of screening and treatment of screen-detected pre-eclampsia in order to update the 1996 recommendation.
The researchers note that there was adequate evidence that pre-eclampsia screening results in considerable benefit for mother and infant, given that treatment can reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality and the established accuracy of measuring blood pressure.
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Sufficient evidence also suggested that screening for and treatment of pre-eclampsia was associated with potential harms that were no greater than small.
Based on these findings, the USPSTF concluded that there is substantial net benefit of pre-eclampsia screening in pregnant women (B recommendation).
“Pre-eclampsia can progress quickly and lead to severe complications for both the mother and infant,” task force member Maureen Phipps, MD, MPH, said in a statement. “It is critical that women be screened for pre-eclampsia during every clinical visit throughout their pregnancy.”
References
Henderson JT, et al. “Preeclampsia Screening: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.” JAMA. 2017;317(16): 1668-1683. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.18315
Sperling JD and Gossett DR. “Screening for Preeclampsia and the USPSTF Recommendations.” JAMA. 2017;317(16): 1629-1630. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.2018
“US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Preeclampsia: US Preventive Services Task Force | Recommendation Statement.” JAMA. 2017;317(16): 1661-1667. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.3439
