Background Information

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Risk factors only account for a small percentage of the cases, suggesting a role for other factors, such as environmental exposures. The use of biomarkers for the prediction of HDP is integral to disease stratification and targeted therapy, but the utility, availability, and human relevance of biomarkers studied in animal models remain variable.

To support the characterization of key HDP biomarkers, researchers in DTT are developing a systematic evidence map to identify, summarize, and visualize the available research evidence. The goal of this effort is to characterize the biomarkers associated with HDP, determine the extent to which those biomarkers have been evaluated in animal studies, understand the strengths and limitations of HDP rodent models, and identify environmental exposures have been evaluated in the context of HDP biomarkers.

This interactive systematic evidence map will enable researchers to explore published research on HDP. It is focused on identifying human-relevant biomarkers that can be used to evaluate the impact of environmental exposures on HDP in animal models, data gaps to inform primary research, and pockets of data that might be suitable for a full systematic review.