- Home
- Medical news & Guidelines
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology and CTVS
- Critical Care
- Dentistry
- Dermatology
- Diabetes and Endocrinology
- ENT
- Gastroenterology
- Medicine
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Obstretics-Gynaecology
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopaedics
- Pediatrics-Neonatology
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Urology
- Laboratory Medicine
- Diet
- Nursing
- Paramedical
- Physiotherapy
- Health news
- Fact Check
- Bone Health Fact Check
- Brain Health Fact Check
- Cancer Related Fact Check
- Child Care Fact Check
- Dental and oral health fact check
- Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
- Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
- Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
- Fitness fact check
- Gut health fact check
- Heart health fact check
- Kidney health fact check
- Medical education fact check
- Men's health fact check
- Respiratory fact check
- Skin and hair care fact check
- Vaccine and Immunization fact check
- Women's health fact check
- AYUSH
- State News
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Andhra Pradesh
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Assam
- Bihar
- Chandigarh
- Chattisgarh
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
- Delhi
- Goa
- Gujarat
- Haryana
- Himachal Pradesh
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Jharkhand
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Ladakh
- Lakshadweep
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Manipur
- Meghalaya
- Mizoram
- Nagaland
- Odisha
- Puducherry
- Punjab
- Rajasthan
- Sikkim
- Tamil Nadu
- Telangana
- Tripura
- Uttar Pradesh
- Uttrakhand
- West Bengal
- Medical Education
- Industry
Mid pregnancy PlGF Screening: A Promising Tool for Identifying Risk of Early Preterm Birth, Study Reveals
Canada: In a recent study, researchers have found that screening for low placental growth factor (PlGF) levels in mid-pregnancy could offer valuable insight into the risk of early preterm birth. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, suggests that measuring PlGF during routine gestational diabetes screenings could become an essential tool for identifying pregnant individuals at high risk for early preterm birth, particularly when it comes to iatrogenic births.
The placental growth factor is a protein involved in blood vessel development within the placenta. PlGF levels in pregnant individuals can indicate how well the placenta is functioning, and lower levels have been linked to complications like preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Early preterm birth, defined as birth before 32 weeks of gestation, poses significant risks for both the mother and the newborn. Premature infants often face complications such as respiratory distress syndrome, neurological issues, and long-term developmental challenges. However, a universal screening strategy has not yet been established, hindering the ability to deliver targeted and effective interventions.
Against the above background, Rachel A. Gladstone, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues aimed to assess the effectiveness of mid-pregnancy PlGF screening in identifying pregnancies with the highest risk of early preterm birth.
For this purpose, the researchers conducted a prospective cohort study at an urban, tertiary care center between 2020 and 2023, involving pregnant individuals with singleton pregnancies who received routine prenatal care. Participants underwent a PlGF test during gestational diabetes screening at 24-28 weeks. The study analyzed data from January to May 2024.
The primary outcome was early preterm birth (before 34 weeks), with secondary outcomes including iatrogenic and spontaneous preterm birth, preeclampsia, stillbirth, and small-for-gestational-age birth weight.
The investigation revealed the following findings:
• Among 9,037 pregnant individuals, 156 (1.7%) experienced early preterm birth (52 spontaneous, 104 iatrogenic).
• The area under the curve (AUC) for PlGF and early preterm birth was 0.80.
• Low PlGF level was associated with early preterm birth, showing:
• Positive likelihood ratio (LR): 79.4
• Negative LR: 0.606
• Specificity: 99.5%
• Negative predictive value: 98.9%
• Time to birth was significantly reduced for those with PlGF levels below 100 pg/mL, with more than 50% delivering within 50 days.
• Individuals with low PlGF levels accounted for over 30% of subsequent stillbirths (adjusted relative risk [aRR], 36.78).
• More than 50% of patients requiring iatrogenic early preterm birth had low PlGF levels (aRR, 92.11).
• The AUC for iatrogenic early preterm birth was 0.90.
The findings indicate that mid-pregnancy PlGF testing could be a potential screening tool for identifying individuals at high risk for early preterm birth.
"Further randomized trials are necessary to assess the impact of widespread implementation of PlGF screening," the researchers concluded.
Reference:
Gladstone RA, Ahmed S, Huszti E, et al. Midpregnancy Placental Growth Factor Screening and Early Preterm Birth. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(11):e2444454. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.44454
MSc. Biotechnology
Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at  editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751
Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751