(Marius Scarlat | Dreamstime) Preeclampsia is a serious complication, which usually occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy. This condition will be diagnosed when pregnant women have high blood pressure and high urinary protein (proteinuria). Dr Arun Jeyabalan, a specialist in maternal and child medicine at Maggie Women's Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said:

Pre-eclampsia may have systemic or systemic effects, and the World Health Organization has studied pre-eclampsia.

This disease will affect other organs of the mother's body. Jeyabalan said that women may also have kidney injury, liver failure and nervous system symptoms, such as severe headache, seizures and hydrops in the lungs (known as pulmonary edema). She explained that the cause of preeclampsia may be related to substances released by the placenta, which will affect the blood vessels of the mother. When the blood flow to the placenta decreases, the fetus may not get the nutrition and oxygen needed for growth.

Jeyabalan said that preeclampsia often occurs in the second half of pregnancy, more commonly in the third trimester. Jeyabalan said it could also happen after delivery, within 6 weeks after delivery.

In the past, preeclampsia may be called "toxemia" or "pregnancy-induced hypertension". But these outdated terms are no longer used. Instead, it is "pregnancy-induced hypertension". Pregnancy-induced hypertension means that women's blood pressure rises after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but there is no protein in urine, which is considered as "pre-eclampsia". In America,

Preeclampsia means that one out of every 12 pregnancies or five to eight pregnancies will be affected. According to the pre-eclampsia foundation, in all deliveries.

Jeyabalan said that preeclampsia can also be a terrible disease, because it can kill mothers and babies all over the world and may lead to long-term health problems.

Symptoms of preeclampsia may appear gradually or suddenly during pregnancy or within six weeks after delivery.

"We tell pregnant women to pay attention to the symptoms in the third trimester and call an obstetrician or midwife if there are any symptoms," Jayabalan said.

Symptoms may include:

Visual changes, such as persistent spots or flashes in front of eyes, blurred vision or excessive sensitivity to mild, severe and non-swelling headaches, especially around ankles and feet, hands and face. Jeyabalan said: "Although swelling is common during pregnancy, seeing swelling in these areas will increase the suspicion of preeclampsia. Pain in the right upper abdomen, where the liver is located, leads to dyspnea, sudden nausea or vomiting in the second half of pregnancy, with the most serious symptoms. Pregnant women with preeclampsia may have seizures, leading to a disease called eclampsia. " This is considered as a medical emergency and needs immediate treatment, because it may be life-threatening. Women with the following risk factors are more likely to suffer from preeclampsia:

Women suffer from chronic hypertension (pre-pregnancy hypertension) and kidney disease. Pregnant women over 40 years old or under 18 years old have lupus or preeclampsia before pregnancy. These women will develop hypertension or preeclampsia during pregnancy, especially if these complications occur in obese women in early pregnancy, and multiple births, such as twins or triplets, will occur before pregnancy. For doctors and women, it is a complex and challenging task how pregnancy leads to preeclampsia.

Sometimes a woman diagnosed with this disease will ask Jayabalan, "What have I done to prolong life and delay the premature birth of the fetus? Jay Balaam said:

Women can take safe antihypertensive drugs during pregnancy. In severe pre-eclampsia, Jeyabalan said that women can inject magnesium sulfate intravenously (an anticonvulsant drug) to prevent seizures.

In the case of premature delivery, steroid injection can help accelerate the lung development of the fetus.

Preeclampsia may be a progressive syndrome, and its symptoms may deteriorate rapidly. Therefore, in the course of treatment, the doctor will try to strike a proper balance between the deterioration of the mother's condition and the maturity of the fetus before delivery. "Jay Balaam admits," Sometimes we are not always so extravagant. In 20 14, the medical expert group of U.S. preventive services task force suggested that women with high risk of preeclampsia, such as women with a history of preeclampsia or chronic hypertension, should start taking low-dose aspirin (8 1 mg) every day after 12 weeks of pregnancy. It is safe to take small doses of aspirin during pregnancy.

Studies have shown that high-risk women who take low-dose aspirin every day after the first three months have a 24% lower risk of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is not always solved after the baby is born. Some women still have high blood pressure after delivery and need lifelong monitoring. Jayabalan says these women may need antihypertensive drugs to control their blood pressure.

Women suffer from preeclampsia during pregnancy, but may no longer receive the care of maternal and child medical experts, so it is necessary to inform their primary care doctors of this pregnancy complication. Jayabalan says their doctors need to pay more attention to long-term cardiovascular diseases.

In fact, the American Heart Association recognizes that preeclampsia is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke in women, and they also included it in the 20 1 1 guidelines for prevention of cardiovascular diseases in women. According to the American Heart Association, "women with a history of preeclampsia are twice as likely to have a stroke and four times as likely to have high blood pressure". "But lifestyle changes, such as non-smoking, healthy eating, reaching a healthy weight and regular exercise, can help women reduce their chances of heart disease in the future.

Additional resources

Mayo Clinic: Preeclampsia Foundation National Library of Medicine: Preeclampsia