A team of South African and Australian researchers have made a medical breakthrough in the treatment of preterm preeclampsia.
The condition, also known as toxaemia, is a dangerous pregnancy complication characterised by high blood pressure that can lead to serious and even fatal complications for both mother and baby.
The research, led by a Stellenbosch University team, uncovered medication that can be used to increase the development period of a baby, while it is still in the uterus.
The study was led by professor Cathy Cluver, who is an associate professor at the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at the university.
Cluver said preeclampsia claimed the lives of 500 000 babies and 70 000 pregnant mothers every year.
“It is a leading cause of maternal and neonatal deaths in South Africa,” she said.
In her Netflix special, Homecoming, Beyoncé had announced that she suffered from preeclampsia while pregnant with her twins, Sir and Rumi.
According to the professor, the only existing treatment for the condition is to deliver the baby and the placenta.
“Late in a pregnancy it is fairly safe to deliver a baby, but if delivery is pre-term, it can result in severe complications associated with prematurity and could even result in the death of the baby.”
The research team in Melbourne, Australia at Mercy Hospital for Women came up with the idea of using metformin as a treatment for preeclampsia.
The trial for metformin was run at Tygerberg Hospital with 180 women with preterm preeclampsia that was between 26 and 32 weeks pregnant. Half of the women were given metformin and the other half were given a placebo pill, without knowing who was given the active drug.
Cluver said women who took metformin remained pregnant for 7.6 days longer than those who took the placebo.
“Furthermore, their babies spent 12 days less in hospital,” she said.
“When we are dealing with this level of prematurity, an extra week in the mother’s womb is likely to be a really important gain that could translate into lifelong health benefits for the baby.”
The professor said this was the first time that treatment given to moms with the condition has kept them pregnant for a week longer.
“It could mean that preterm pre-eclampsia can now be treated and that we can slow disease progression right down.”
Cluver added that metformin was likely to be safe and administered for a limited duration, as it is already widely used to treat gestational diabetes.
“A further advantage is that metformin is inexpensive, meaning it could be widely adopted in low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC’s) such as South Africa, where the problem is most pronounced.”