Skip to main content

Preeclampsia: Causes, Diagnosis, Complications, and Treatment


What is Preeclampsia?
Pregnancy

Preeclampsia is a condition during pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine(proteinuria).

 Preeclampsia usually occurs after the second trimester of pregnancy(after 20 weeks of pregnancy). But in rare cases it occurs in early pregnancy or after delivery of the fetus. 

 Gestational Hypertension is diagnosed when the mother's blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mmHg for the first time after mid-pregnancy, but in whom proteinuria is not identified.

 What Are The Causes of Preeclampsia?

 There are no yet identified causes of preeclampsia, but there are believed to be some imposing mechanisms. Those include:

  1. Placental implantation with an abnormal trophoblastic invasion of uterine vessels.
  2. Immunological maladaptive tolerance between maternal, paternal(placental, and fetal tissues
  3. Maternal maladaptation to cardiovascular or inflammatory changes to normal pregnancy.
  4.  Genetic factors including inherited predisposing genes and epigenetic influences.
The risk factors that increase the chances of having preeclampsia include:
  • being pregnant with multiple fetuses
  • being over the age of 35
  • being in your early teens
  • being pregnant for the first time
  • being obese
  • having a history of high blood pressure
  • having a history of diabetes
  • having a history of a kidney disorder

Symptoms and Signs of Preeclampsia

Some common symptoms of preeclampsia include:
  • Global type of headache
  • Epigastric pain
  • Swelling of face and extremities
  • Blurring of vision
  • Nausea and Vomiting 
  • Sudden weight gain
Signs Of Preeclampsia:
  • High blood pressure: >140/90mmHg after 20 weeks of gestation). 
  • Proteinuria(24 hours of urine protein >300mg, protein, creatinine ratio >0.3, +1 in random urine samples)

Complications of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia could be very dangerous for both the baby and the mother. Complications can include:
  • bleeding problems due to low platelet levels
  • placental abruption (breaking away of the placenta from the uterine wall)
  • damage to the liver
  • kidney failure
  • pulmonary edema
What Is The Treatment Of Preeclampsia?

 The best way to treat preeclampsia is to during pregnancy is to deliver the baby.

 Delivering The Baby
Delivering a baby

If the pregnancy is at 37 or more weeks of gestation we induce labor and deliver the baby. 

 Delivering the baby should cure preeclampsia.

 Other Treatment Options

 Antihypertensive Therapy: The use of antihypertensive drugs to prolong pregnancy or modify perinatal outcomes has very good results. 

 We may also give anticonvulsive drugs to prevent eclampsia.

 We have to monitor the patient very closely at the hospital if admitted. Monitoring the patient includes:

  • Fetal heartbeat
  • Urine output
  • Look for Seizures
  • Fetal Kicks
  • Any abdominal pain 


 For more information on Preeclampsia 

  1. Preeclampsia: Causes, Diagnosis, Complication, and Treatment 
  2. Pre-Eclampsia
Other Gynecology conditions: 

Gestational Trophoblastic Disease




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts

Normal Sleep

Normal Sleep  Sleep is a universal behavior that has been demonstrated in every animal species studied, from insects to mammals. It is one of the most significant of human behaviors, occupying roughly one-third of human life. Although the exact functions of sleep are still unknown, it is clearly necessary for survival because prolonged sleep deprivation leads to severe physical and cognitive impairment and, finally, death. Sleep is particularly relevant to psychiatry because sleep disturbances occur in virtually all psychiatric illnesses and are frequently part of the diagnostic criteria for specific disorders. The ancient Greeks ascribed the need for sleep to the god Hypnos (sleep) and his son Morpheus, also a creature of the night, who brought dreams in human forms. Dreams have played an important role in psychoanalysis. Freud believed dreams to be the “royal road to the unconscious.” Electrophysiology Of Sleep Sleep is made up of two physiological states: ◦non-rapid eye movement...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Does Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Mean

        What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Obsession is recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted. The patient tries to resist it but is unable to. Failure to resist against it leads to marked distress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts than an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. A compulsion is a form of behavior that usually follows obsession. The behavior is not realistic either irrational or excessive. It is aimed at either preventing or neutralizing the distress or fear arising out of obsession. The compulsive act may be carried out in an attempt to reduce the anxiety associated with the obsession does not always succeed in doing so. The completion of the compulsive act may not affect the anxiety it may even increase the  anxiety  Anxiety also increases when a person...
Post a Comment
Read more