Drug tested for deadly condition at pregnancy

ACADEMICS from University of Stellenbosch are working on a study that could bring a cure to one of the fatal conditions that affects mothers and babies in pregnancy.

Dr Cathy Cluver, who is with the institution’s department of obstetrics and gynaecology, said yesterday that pre-eclampsia claims about 60 000 women and more than half a million babies worldwide in a year.

She said the deadly condition, for which there is currently no cure, develops when the placenta releases toxins in the body that can damage blood vessels and lead to organ failure in pregnant women.

In South Africa, about 8% of women in pregnancy develop the complication.

Cluver has partnered with researchers from the Translational Obstetrics Group at the University of Melbourne in Australia in trying to find a cure for pre-eclampsia.

The trial involves 104 pregnant women with the condition who are being treated at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town.

Cluver said they are given esomeprazole, a tablet which researchers in Australia said had positive results with.

She said the tablet was used to treat heartburn and was commonly used in pregnancy.

Cluver said they hoped to conclude the trial at the end of next month or early April.

“[Mothers] can really get bad headaches and can develop severe complications. They can get a stroke, fits, they can get fluid on the lungs, heart failure, kidney failure and bleeding.

“The baby can be growth restricted and can also end up dying inside the womb.”

She said it had not been established what causes the condition. And what made it scary was that there was no way of preventing it.

“Every time when you go see your gynaecologist during pregnancy, the gynaecologist will always check your blood pressure and urine, the reason why the gynaecologist does that is to look for pre-eclampsia.

Cluver said currently the only treatment was to deliver the baby, which is risky. A SOWETO family has recently found out that their mentally ill relative from Life Esidimeni died at one of the NGOs six months ago.

Yesterday, Gauteng MEC for health Gwen Ramokgopa said the family came forward on Saturday during a healing ceremony held with families affected by the transfer of mentally ill patients to various NGOs.

Ramokgopa said the man died in August and the