Patent ID: 8568999

Claim:
A method for diagnosing or aiding in diagnosing preclampsia in a subject pregnant female comprising the following steps: a) determining whether the subject has preeclampsia or is at an increased risk of developing preeclampsia by i) measuring the level of free fetal hemoglobin or measuring the level of free fetal hemoglobin and the level of total free hemoglobin in a non-fetal biological sample in the subject, and ii) comparing the level of free fetal hemoglobin or the ratio of free fetal hemoglobin and total hemoglobin in the sample to a control value, wherein an increase in the level or ratio in the sample relative to the control is indicative of preeclampsia; and b) administering to the subject determined to have preeclampsia or at an increased risk of developing preeclampsia an effective amount of one or more substances selected from the group consisting of haemoglobin binding agents, heme-binding agents, heme-degrading agents and iron-binding agents.