Serum biomarkers for the prediction and diagnosis of preeclampsia: a systematic meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy

Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication threatening maternal and fetal health that requires early prediction. Researchers analyzed 22 studies with a total of 7,772 participants to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of seven categories of serum biomarkers. The sFlt-1/PIGF ratio demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy with a sensitivity of 85%, specificity of 83%, and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.923. Individual biomarkers sFlt-1 and PIGF achieved AUC values of 0.881 and 0.859, respectively. Endoglin and leptin showed moderate diagnostic performance with AUC values of 0.814 and 0.768. Activin A and inhibin A demonstrated preliminary diagnostic potential, but these findings are based on only three studies each. Analysis by gestational trimester revealed that the sFlt-1/PIGF ratio achieved the highest AUC (0.94) in the second trimester.