Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and particularly preeclampsia, remain a leading cause
of adverse pregnancy outcomes in both developing and developed countries. Identification of at-risk
women, before the emergence of clinical signs, in order to implement preventive measures and early
targeted interventions for improving short-and long-term outcomes for the mother and her child,
remains a public health priority. The development of validated screening procedures using biological
markers is hampered by the limited knowledge of the aetiology and pathophysiology of preeclampsia,
despite continuous research efforts. However, recently discovered biochemical markers and
ultrasonographic parameters, taken individually or in combination, have shown encouraging potential to
better characterize and predict preeclampsia and its adverse outcomes. We provide in this chapter
examples of potential markers in relation to their links to pathophysiological processes. We believe
there is a need to investigate in large-scale population studies combinations of carefully-selected
biochemical, biophysical and maternal determinants to identify early in pregnancy women at risk of
developing preeclampsia and its adverse outcomes.
Keywords: Markers, maternal hypertension, pregnancy, blood pressure, proteinuria, foetal