Deaths from pre-eclampsia are declining in the U.K.

Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Researchers at King's College London have found that the chances of maternal death from pre-eclampsia are now less than 1 in 1 million.

Pre-eclampsia, or high blood pressure in pregnancy, can be fatal if untreated and the only recommended treatment is to deliver the baby early.

Data from the Confidential Inquiry into Maternal Deaths showed that fewer than 1 in 10,000 women die in pregnancy in the U.K., and women with pre-eclampsia have a less than 1 in 1 million chance of death.

"This reduction in mortality in the U.K. in mothers with pre-eclampsia is quite remarkable," Andrew Shennan, professor of obstetrics at King's College London and co-author of the article, said in a press release. "Good care in the NHS [National Health Service], driven by sound evidence-based medicine and disseminated by NICE [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] guidelines, mean the rest of the world will be driven to emulate this success. This is a real success story."

Some of the factors contributing to the reduction in maternal deaths from pre-eclampsia include improved monitoring of pregnant women, planned delivery from 37 weeks and the use of low-dose aspirin, antihypertensive medication and magnesium sulfate.

"We should continue the focus on high-quality care that has enabled this reduction to happen including regular antenatal checks and prompt treatment of severe hypertension," added co-author Lucy Chappell, professor of obstetrics at King's College London. "We now need to turn our attention to reducing Pre-eclampsia deaths around the globe and the baby deaths associated with the disease in the UK and elsewhere."

"Pregnancy in the U.K. is now so safe a women's partner is more likely to die than she is," Marcus Green of the charity Action on Pre-eclampsia, said in a press release. "There has been great progress even in the last few years, especially in pre-eclampsia and this is down to great care in the NHS. In 2006-8, 19 women died from pre-eclampsia and this is now down to 2 deaths in 2012-14. We know great care makes a tremendous difference and pre-eclampsia is only safe for the mother if it is identified and well managed without this we run the risk of these statistics rising in the U.K. and the effect on families is utterly devastating."

The article was published in The Lancet.