According to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, out of 4 million births each year, 50,000 are characterized by complications that pose a life-threatening risk. The study revealed that in more than 900 cases, placenta accreta leads to maternal death. Placenta accreta syndrome (PAS) puts both the mother and the unborn child in peril and is a serious, usually deadly disease.

The lead author of the study explained that in PAS, a large portion of the placenta is attached to the uterine wall or, in some cases, to the bladder, leading to abnormal placenta delivery after birth and heavy bleeding. In the study, 35 PAS patients were diagnosed retrospectively after delivery, and 70 healthy control patients were enrolled. CMP proteins were isolated and identified from patient plasma sampled during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Researchers from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital revealed that 33 to 50% of the cases of PAS go unnoticed until birth. Hence, they have developed a new blood panel test using circulating microparticle (CMP) protein panels in pregnant women. They discovered that five distinct CMP proteins can predict PAS in pregnant women as early as the second trimester.

Additional findings also revealed that in the second trimester of PAS patients, iron homeostasis and erythropoietin signaling were overrepresented, which led to abnormal immune function in the third trimester. 

(Source: https://theprint.in/health/researchers-identify-blood-panel-to-predict-placenta-accreta/1302396/ )