Susceptibility Genes for Pre-Eclampsia in UK women

Dr Linda Morgan

Anna F Dominiczak, Mark Caulfield, Martin Farrall, James Walker.

Pre-eclampsia, a disorder of pregnancy associated with high blood pressure, causes 900,000 infant deaths and 40,000 maternal deaths worldwide annually. Pre-eclampsia runs in families, and recent advances in technology enable testing of all human genes in a single experiment. DNA from 2,225 UK women affected by pre-eclampsia will be tested. Results will be double-checked by retesting selected genes in DNA collections from 2500 women affected by pre-eclampsia from Norway and Finland, together with 2500 control samples from healthy pregnant women. Knowing which genes predispose to pre-eclampsia will improve understanding of its causes, and assist in developing strategies for its prevention and treatment.