Preeclampsia/Eclampsia

• Preeclampsia, also known as toxemia, is seen in 2 to 10 percent of all pregnancies.
• Preeclampsia is marked by high blood pressure accompanied with a high level of protein in the urine. Women with preeclampsia often will also have swelling in the feet, legs and hands.
• Preeclampsia, when present, usually appears during the second half of pregnancy, generally in the latter part of the second or in the third trimesters, although it can occur earlier.
• If there are associated seizures, the condition becomes eclampsia. Eclampsia is the final and most severe phase of preeclampsia and occurs in less than 1 percent of pregnancies. Eclampsia can cause coma or death of the mother and baby before, during or after childbirth.
• During a seizure, mother and baby are at risk of being deprived of oxygen. In addition, high blood pressure might cause the placenta to begin to separate from the wall of the uterus, called a placental abruption. This can cause severe bleeding and even death of the fetus and possibly the mother.
• With eclampsia, the incidence of stroke, including stroke due to loss of blood supply to the brain, is about 34 per 100,000 deliveries. Thats estimated to be more than three times higher than stroke associated with normal pregnancy.
• About half of all patients who survive pregnancy-related stroke are left with neurological deficiencies. Usually these improve, but most patients have a residual deficit. Those include loss of speech, memory and paralysis.
• Overall, 4.2 percent of all pregnancy-related stroke patients do not survive. The mortality rate for stroke victims in all age groups combined is 24 percent.
• Signs expectant mothers can look for to indicate preeclampsia or eclampsia include weight gain due to progressive fluid retention or headache due to high blood pressure.
• The condition is more common in younger mothers, and may be more common with multiple births.
• Treatment for preeclampsia includes delivery of the baby if it’s not too early for it to live outside the womb. Alternate steps include bed rest, medications to lower blood pressure, limiting the amount of salt intake or hospitalization.
• Prenatal care, a healthy diet and following doctor’s orders are the best known deterrent.

Sources: University of Texas Medical Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Medicinenet.com