Prediction of preeclampsia developing at term

Abstract

Preterm preeclampsia (PE), occurring at < 37 weeks' gestation, can be predicted from as early as 11-13 weeks and prevented with the use of aspirin. In contrast, term PE, which is more common than preterm-PE and it can be associated with important maternal morbidity and mortality, cannot be effectively predicted at 11-13 weeks and cannot be prevented by the prophylactic use of aspirin. This paper briefly reviews the pathogenesis of term PE and discusses strategies available for its prediction.