npj Women's Health (Aug 2024)

Biological comparisons between pre-eclampsia and placenta accreta spectrum

  • Helena C. Bartels,
  • Sodiq Hameed,
  • Constance Young,
  • Myriam Nabhan,
  • Paul Downey,
  • Kathleen M. Curran,
  • Janet McCormack,
  • Aurelie Fabre,
  • Walter Kolch,
  • Vadim Zhernovkov,
  • Donal J. Brennan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-024-00034-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Abstract Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS) and pre-eclampsia are obstetric disorders associated with significant maternal morbidity and mortality. As pre-eclampsia is characterised by shallow placental invasion and PAS by abnormally deep invasion, we sought to compare the biological processes dysregulated in PAS to those reported in pre-eclampsia. We demonstrate that many of the processes contributing to unregulated placental invasion in PAS are the mirror findings of those previously reported in pre-eclampsia. These comparisons of PAS to a more common obstetric condition allow a greater understanding of the biological processes contributing to PAS, which remains a very rare obstetric complication.