STOP-PIH Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Steroid metabolism in pre-eclampsia and pregnancy induced hypertension.
IRAS ID
148169
Contact name
Gemma Currie
Contact email
Research summary
High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia are serious conditions which complicate 5-8% of pregnancies worldwide. The short and longterm effects of these conditions for both mother and infant can be severe. Unfortunately, we still have do not have a test that can help doctors to predict these conditions at an early stage in pregnancy which would allow us to identify “at risk” women and start more intensive monitoring.
Aldosterone is a steroid hormone that controls salt and water balance; it also has effects on blood vessel function. In healthy pregnancy larger quantities of aldosterone are needed to allow the foetus and placenta to develop normally. In pre-eclampsia, aldosterone levels are much lower than normal and the reason behind this is not clear. Deoxycorticosterone (DOC) is a hormone with similar effects to aldosterone which is produced along with the hormone progesterone. In pregnancy the levels of progesterone and DOC are increased. We know that DOC is inactivated by an enzyme called AKR1C3 in normal conditions but this enzyme might be less active in pre-eclampsia.
We want to investigate the relationship between these hormones in healthy pregnancy compared to women with high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia as this might help us to find markers to tell us if a woman is “at risk” early in her pregnancy. We will also compare these with non-pregnant women to look at differences between these groups.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 1
REC reference
14/WS/0132
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jun 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion