New Delhi, June 11 (IANS): Global diagnostic chain SRL Diagnostics has launched the first medical test to diagnose hypertensive disorders in pregnant women. These disorders can cause several health risks, including death of both mother and child.

PLGF (Placental Growth Factor) will help gynaecologists in diagnosing early pre-eclampsia, a disorder of pregnancy characterized by high-blood pressure and a large amount of protein in the urine.

Recent studies have revealed that pre-eclampsia accounts for around 70 percent of all cases of hypertension in pregnancy and accounts for 24 percent of all maternal deaths in India.

The test -- PLGF -- is currently priced at Rs. 2,850 and is available across India at SRL diagnostic centres. Many in India suffer from hypertension but are unable to diagnose it due to the lack of facilities.

According to the union health ministry, at least 40 percent of the people in cities and 20 percent in rural India suffer from hypertension and the number is increasing fast due to a sedentary lifestyle and increasing desire to earn more in a short span.

"Although, the exact cause of Pre-eclampsia is unknown, it is widely believed that placenta is the source of this condition and it can also affect the mother's kidney, liver and brain. Earlier, there was no single test to diagnose or predict the outcome of pre-eclampsia. SRL Diagnostics is the first Indian laboratory to introduce PLGF," said B.R. Das, president - Research and Innovation at SRL Diagnostics.

"Apart from routine antenatal check ups, women should undergo early screening processes to identify placental dysfunction and if pre-eclampsia is suspected, it may be right to start appropriate management at the earliest. And PLGF will help clinicians in deciding that," said Das, a mentor - Molecular Pathology and Clinical Research Service of ASRL,