Machine-learning algorithms could one day help doctors predict which pregnant women are at risk of premature birth and preeclampsia, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine..
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh analyzed data from more than 150,000 pregnancies and found that AI algorithms were able to predict premature birth with 74% accuracy and preeclampsia with 72% accuracy. This is a significant improvement over the traditional methods of predicting these conditions, which have an accuracy of about 50%..
The AI algorithms used a variety of data to make their predictions, including the mother’s age, race, ethnicity, medical history, and lifestyle factors. They also used data from the mother’s pregnancy, such as her blood pressure, weight gain, and fetal heart rate..
The researchers believe that their findings could lead to the development of new screening tools that could help doctors identify women who are at high risk of premature birth and preeclampsia. These tools could help to prevent these conditions from occurring or to mitigate their effects..
Premature birth is the leading cause of death in newborns, and preeclampsia is a serious condition that can lead to both maternal and fetal health problems. Therefore, the development of new tools to predict these conditions is a major advance in the field of obstetrics..
The researchers say that their findings are still preliminary and that more research is needed to confirm their results. However, they believe that their study is a promising step towards the development of new tools to help prevent premature birth and preeclampsia..
In addition to the potential clinical benefits, the researchers also believe that their findings could have a significant impact on the healthcare system. By identifying women who are at high risk of premature birth and preeclampsia, doctors could target these women with interventions that could help to prevent these conditions from occurring. This could lead to a reduction in the number of premature births and preeclampsia cases, which could save lives and reduce healthcare costs..
The researchers say that they are currently working on developing a clinical tool that could be used to predict premature birth and preeclampsia. They hope that this tool will be available to doctors in the near future..
