Link Between Herpes Virus and Highblood Pressure in Pregnancy
A new study conducted in Adelaide, Australia has demonstrated a link between two common viruses and pregnancy induced hypertensive disorders (PIHD) and preterm birth. Researchers used blood samples from newborn screening cards to test for the genetic material from different strains of the herpes virus, along with other common viruses like epstein-barr, varicella-zoster and cytomegalovirus.
Results of the study showed that the risk of developing high blood pressure during pregnancy was increased if herpes virus DNA was present. In fact, the odds of developing hypertension was 5.7 times higher when any strain of herpesvirus DNA was found. In addition to this link between herpes and hypertension, there was also a smaller association between cytomegalovirus and preterm birth.
Pregnancy induced hypertensive disorders encompass a whole spectrum of conditions in which a woman develops high blood pressure during pregnancy. This increased blood pressure can develop into the life threatening conditions like preeclampsia, eclampsia and HELLP. Preeclampsia is the single leading diagnosable cause of preterm birth, and accounts for 18% of all maternal deaths. For more information about research into preeclampsia, check out these articles on preeclampsia and angiotensin, and possible screening tests for preeclampsia.
Reference: CS Gibson, PN Goldwater, AH MacLennan, EA Haan, K Priest, GA Dekker, South Australian Cerebral Palsy Research Group. Fetal exposure to herpesviruses may be associated with pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders and preterm birth in a Caucasian population. BJOG. 2008. 115:4 , 492–500. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2007.01653.x
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February 18th, 2008 at 11:16 am
[...] readers. Now, you can read about a new study linking high blood pressure in pregnancy to certain viral infections over at my Women’s Health Blog. In case you missed it, you can also find out more [...]