PEARLS
Preeclampsia Research Laboratories
What is preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is high blood pressure in pregnancy. It often occurs in the later stages of pregnancy and is discovered when the blood pressure starts to increase and sometimes, when protien in found in the urine test. It is one of the commonest complications of pregnancy, affecting one in ten pregnancies. The most serious effects occur when blood pressure is dangerously high and the pregnancy needs to be delivered early - ending with a premature baby and very sick mother. The mother can suffer headaches, pain under the ribs and often severe swelling. In the worst cases, the high blood pressure can lead to kidney damage, stroke and even death if untreated.
What's in a name?
"Eclampsia" was the Latin term for fitting or seizures. Untreated, high blood pressure in pregnancy can lead to fitting which is why this condition came to be called preeclampsia.
In normal pregnancy blood pressure goes down. If you have preeclampsia, blood pressure goes up during the pregnancy.
Is high blood pressure by itself preeclampsia?
No.
In addition to high blood pressure, a diagnosis of preeclampsia involves protein in the urine, liver pain, headache, blood abnormalities or a baby who has stopped growing.
High blood pressure, without these other problems is the milder form of the disease.
What increase in blood pressure and when defines preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia is defined as an increase in blood pressure compared to your first visit to the doctor, if the increase occurs after 20 weeks of your pregnancy. In Australia the critical markers used are a blood pressure reading of over 140/90, or a rise of 25 or more in the first number (the systolic blood pressure) or more than 15 in the second number (the diastolic blood pressure).
If your blood pressure was increased before 20 weeks of the pregnancy, it is likely that you have "essential" or chronic hypertension, rather than the blood pressure being a sign of the disease of preeclampsia. Some women have an increase in blood pressure on the oral contraceptive pill and may also experience higher blood pressure in pregnancy without this being a sign of preeclampsia.
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