Proteinuria as a predictor of complications of pre-eclampsia

Abstract

Proteinuria is a defining criterion for the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia. The amount of protein lost per day has been thought by some to predict both maternal and fetal outcome. The systematic review of 16 primary papers including over 6700 patients by Thangaratinam and colleagues published this month in BMC Medicine suggests otherwise. This finding may influence our management of pre-eclampsia. © 2009 Hofmeyr and Belfort; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.