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Mon 03 Mar 2003Lifelines
Researchers believe they have found the cause of pre-eclampsia, a relatively common complication of pregnancy, especially in first-time mothers.
They have identified a receptor in the placenta that soaks up antigenic growth factor, a substance that helps maintain healthy blood vessels in the mother's brain, lungs and kidneys. A lack of the substance causes high blood pressure, raised intracranial pressure and protein in the mother's urine: all signs of pre-eclampsia.
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