Obstetricians often use changes in a woman\’s cervix to determine her risk of preterm birth. Researchers in Australia and Canada recently developed a blood test prediction method that can not only detect the risk of premature birth in advance as early as 18 weeks of pregnancy, but also with higher accuracy.
Craig Pennell, associate professor of maternal and child health at the University of Western Australia, who participated in the study, said that the blood test mainly detects the expression of six genes in the blood of pregnant women that are related to changes in the number of white blood cells. cells, which are an important factor in determining the risk of preterm birth. index.
By predicting changes in white blood cells through the expression of these six genes, doctors can predict the risk of premature birth weeks or even months before signs of premature birth appear, with an accuracy of up to 86%, which is higher than the 65% accuracy of current B-ultrasound testing methods.
A research report published in the American journal \”PLOS ONE\” stated that the blood test method can detect the risk of premature birth as early as 18 weeks of pregnancy, which will help pregnant women to strengthen prevention and care as early as possible. According to the definition of the World Health Organization, delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy is considered premature birth. Approximately 26,000 premature babies are born each year in Australia. (Xinhua News Agency micro-feature) (Zhang Dailei)