Preeclampsia Overview

Principles

Definition

Preeclampsia is a principal research area in maternal-fetal medicine concerned with understanding the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and clinical management of a hypertensive disorder unique to pregnancy, critical for advancing obstetric care and reducing perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Ontological type

Pathophysiology

Prevention and Management

Diagnosis and Classification

Key developments

Key Figures

Maternal vascular susceptibility era

Robert N. Taylor [1] was associated with University of California, San Francisco [3] and Stanford University [4] during the Maternal vascular susceptibility era. His key contributions in this era include framing preeclampsia as an endothelial cell disorder in the paper Preeclampsia: An endothelial cell disorder [6], which highlighted endothelial dysfunction as central to maternal vascular vulnerability. Carl A. Hubel [2] was affiliated with University of California, San Francisco [3] and University of Pittsburgh [5] during this era. Together with the paper Preeclampsia: An endothelial cell disorder [6], his contributions helped establish the endothelial dysfunction model of preeclampsia and supported the shift toward screening and obstetric nephrology practices aimed at maternal vascular pathology.

Placental angiogenic imbalance era

S. Ananth Karumanchi [1] is associated with Harvard University [3] and Baylor College of Medicine [4] during this era. His key contributions include demonstrating that excess placental soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) may contribute to endothelial dysfunction, hypertension, and proteinuria in preeclampsia [6], identifying soluble endoglin as a pathogenic factor [7], and linking First Trimester Placental Growth Factor and Soluble Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 1 and Risk for Preeclampsia to risk assessment in this condition [8], which collectively advanced understanding of angiogenic imbalance and biomarker development in this era. Roberto Romero [2] is associated with Harvard University [3] and Johns Hopkins University [5] during this era. Romero's key contributions include work showing that soluble endoglin contributes to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia [7] and evidence supporting blockade of the vascular endothelial growth factor system in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia [9], which helped define anti-angiogenic mechanisms and guided biomarker-focused approaches in this era.

Biomarker-guided management era

Peter von Dadelszen [1] is a leading figure in maternal health research during the Biomarker-guided management era, with affiliations at the University of Washington [3] and the University of Cambridge [4]. His contributions to this era include shaping prognostic models and triage frameworks through influential papers such as the fullPIERS model for predicting adverse maternal outcomes [8], the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management of the Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: Executive Summary [7], and the 2021 ISHIP classification, diagnosis & management recommendations for international practice [6], which anchored standardized risk stratification and clinical decision-making. Laura A. Magee [2] is a pivotal figure connected with the University of Washington [3] and the University of Pittsburgh [5] during this era. Her scholarly contributions align with the same biomarker-guided framework, advancing the fullPIERS model [8], endorsing the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management of the Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: Executive Summary [7], and promoting the 2021 ISHIP classification, diagnosis & management recommendations for international practice [6] to standardize guidelines, triage, and long-term cardiovascular planning in preeclampsia.