Pre-Eclampsia

• High blood pressure: 140/90
• Protein in urine: 1+ on the dipstick or 300 mg. in a 24-hour collection
• Unusual swelling of the hands, face, or feet
• Headaches that won't go away
• Changes in vision: flashes, blurred vision, or double vision
• Nausea or upper abdominal pain
• Sudden weight gain

However, some women my have no symptoms until they are very sick.

Call your doctor or go to the emergency room if you have any of the above symptoms. Don't wait. Don't second-guess yourself. You know your body better than anyone else.

Early Onset Severe Pre-Eclampsia
Early-onset pre-eclampsia occurs when the signs and symptoms develop prior to the 34th week of pregnancy.

Severe preeclampsia is characterized by one or more of the following:

• Blood pressure greater than 160/110: a risk for stroke
• Severe headaches: a risk for seizure
• Elevated protein in urine, greater than 5 grams in a 24-hour collection or decreased urine production: decreased kidney function
• Visual problems: blurred vision, flashes of light, and the like
• Fluid in the lungs
• Liver abnormalities; nausea, vomiting, or upper abdominal pain: suggests increase risk of liver rupture.

Magnesium Sulfate
This medication is used to control seizures and to prevent premature contractions during preeclampsia. Some of the side effects include muscle weakness, dizziness, slowed breathing, and sweating.

What is Pre-Eclampsia?
Arising during pregnancy and affecting at least 5% to 8% of all pregnancies, it is a rapidly progressive condition characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. Swelling, sudden weight gain, headaches and changes in vision are important symptoms; however, some women with rapidly advancing disease report few symptoms. Additionally, while blood pressure elevation is the most visible sign, it involves generalized damage to the kidneys and liver.

Typically, pre-eclampsia occurs after 20 weeks gestation (in the late second or third trimesters), though it can occur earlier. Proper prenatal care is essential to diagnose and manage pre-eclampsia (formerly called toxemia). Pregnancy Induced Hypertension, HELLP Syndrome, and Eclampsia (characterized by convulsions) are other manifestations of the syndrome. It is important to note that research shows that more women die from pre-eclampsia than eclampsia and one is not necessarily more serious than the other.

Pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading global cause of maternal and infant illness and death. By conservative estimates, these disorders are responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year worldwide. (Source: Pre-Eclampsia Foundation - www.preeclampsia.org)

FACT:
Pre-eclampsia occurs in 5 to 8% of all pregnancies. Internationally, this accounts for 6 to 8 million births per year, in the U.S., at least 200,000 pregnancies. Pre-eclampsia is as common in the U.S. as breast cancer. Pre-eclampsia is the most dangerous of the leading common complications of pregnancy.

FACT:
Every year 76,000 women die from preeclampsia/ eclampsia. In the USA 18% of pregnancy-related deaths are due to the disease - approximately 3 women a week. Even women who do not die may experience trauma, lose babies and suffer lifelong disabilities including paralysis, blindness, permanent neurological impairment, hypertension, and other physiological or psychological problems.

FACT:
While women with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, of advanced maternal age (over 35), teenagers, African Americans, Hispanics and those expecting multiples are among those at an increased risk, studies show that these "risk factors" do not predict who will get the disease and with what severity it will occur.

FACT:
Pre-eclampsia occurs in every country in the world regardless of diet, body size and lifestyle. No significant study has shown that any of these factors are the cause or the cure for pre-eclampsia.

FACT:
Because we cannot safely predict who will and who will not get pre-eclampsia, all women, particularly those in their first pregnancy, or with known risk factors, should be warned about the dangers of pre-eclampsia, Band be well-educated about the signs and symptoms. Women are taught about Downs Syndrome, breast cancer, self-exams and pap smears. Most women would rather know.

FACT:
While it is true that delivery sets in motion the recovery process, most maternal deaths occur in the 24 to 48 hours after the birth of the baby. Pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and the complications from it can occur up to six weeks post partum. Vigilant post-partum care could prevent many of these deaths.

FACT:
Pre-eclampsia can cause intrauterine growth restriction and is the #1 reason doctors choose to deliver early. Pre-eclampsia is the leading known cause of prematurity, accounting for 15% of pre-term births in the U.S. or approximately 60,000 premature births. It is also a leading cause of neonatal and infant death, taking the lives of a half-million babies each year, worldwide.

(Source: Pre-Eclampsia Foundation - www.preeclampsia.org)