New approaches in predicting and diagnosing preeclampsia: Congo Red Dot Paper Test (Review)

Preeclampsia (PE), a complication of pregnancy that is characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality during pregnancy, influencing 2.5-7% of singleton and 7-21% of twin pregnancies. At present, diagnosis is based on traditional but unreliable and nonspecific clinical markers, and treatment of PE is suboptimal, with minimal effect on maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. With the hope of developing an affordable and simple procedure for PE prediction for developing countries, a previous study examined the use of Congo red staining of misfolded and damaged proteins in the urine of women with PE. This feature has diagnostic and prognostic potential since it precedes the onset of clinical manifestations and correlates with disease severity. The test is inexpensive, popular within the medical staff, easy to use, and identifies women with PE in only 3 min. Obstetrical providers benefit from the Congo Red Dot Paper Test analysis, since a negative result promotes lesser waiting times in triage, prevents unneeded admissions, and diminishes the health costs associated per case.