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Preeclampsia During Pregnancy: 8 Signs and Treatment

Preeclampsia During Pregnancy: 8 Signs and Treatment

Some pregnant women develop preeclampsia, which usually occurs in the second half of pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. Is preeclampsia dangerous during pregnancy?

What is Preeclampsia?

One of the most dangerous complications that threatens the health of pregnant mothers and fetuses is preeclampsia. This condition, caused by toxemia of pregnancy, usually appears after the 20th week of pregnancy and is most common at the 37th week and occurs in about 5-8% of pregnant women.

The disease occurs due to reduced blood flow to organs due to vasoconstriction and thickened endothelial tissue. This disease often occurs in pregnant women with related diseases such as kidney disease, Graves' disease, diabetes. The consequences can include liver and kidney damage, bleeding, such as uncontrolled bleeding or convulsions during labor, which can lead to fetal distress, fetal growth retardation and even intrauterine death.

Preeclampsia has unusual symptoms such as sudden increase in blood pressure, shortness of breath and seizures, depending on the severity. However, not all pregnant mothers know all the dangers of this pregnancy complication.

Factors That May Cause Preeclampsia:

To date, no research has found the main cause of preeclampsia. But there are some factors that can cause these dangerous complications for pregnant women:

  • Pregnant women with chronic hypertension
  • Pregnant women with certain disorders, such as hemophilia, kidney disease, a history of diabetes, autoimmune diseases such as lupus (skin ulcers) and diabetes.
  • The risk of preeclampsia is higher for mothers who are overweight or obese.
  • Family members with preeclampsia, such as mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters.
  • Pregnant mothers can be carrying multiples or twins.
  • Mother gave birth to her first child.
  • Had preeclampsia before
  • Poor nutrition during pregnancy
  • Late pregnancy, pregnancy after 40 years old
  • Pregnancy with a second husband has a higher risk of preeclampsia.
  • Due to skin color: Black women are at higher risk of preeclampsia than women of other races.
  • When the time between pregnancies is less than two years or more than 10 years, it also has an impact and can increase the risk of preeclampsia.
  • Mothers who conceive through in vitro fertilization are also at higher risk of developing the disease than mothers who conceive naturally.

One of the complications that can occur during pregnancy is preeclampsia. If the disease is not detected and treated promptly, it can affect the health of the mother and fetus, and can even cause death for both mother and child.

The complications of preeclampsia are very dangerous. Both the mother and the fetus are affected.

Signs of Preeclampsia:

By the 20th week of pregnancy, most signs of preeclampsia are detected through screening. Preeclampsia may have the following symptoms:

  • Hypertension: There may be a top (systolic) blood pressure reading of 140 mmHg or higher, or a bottom (diastolic) blood pressure reading of 90 mmHg or higher, or both at the same time. A diagnostic value requires two blood pressure readings taken 4 hours apart.
  • Proteinuria: Abnormal protein in the urine. The amount of protein in the urine of preeclamptic patients often exceeds 0.5 g/l or 300 mg of protein in a day.
  • Edema: Mild swelling around the eyes, swelling of the face, limbs, or sudden weight gain are signs of edema. However, not all pregnant women have these symptoms or the symptoms of edema are difficult to detect.

Pregnant women with preeclampsia may experience other signs in addition to the common symptoms above:

  • Pregnant women with vomiting and nausea.
  • Mild, constant abdominal pain in the prehepatic or epigastric region
  • Severe headache, which may be accompanied by blurred vision, temporary loss or reduction of vision
  • Chest pain and shortness of breath, especially when lying on your back, and increasing abdominal distension.
  • Abnormalities in blood tests such as increased liver enzymes or decreased platelets, etc.

Complications of Preeclampsia:

Untreated and poorly controlled preeclampsia can lead to many dangerous complications that threaten the lives of both mother and baby, such as:

  • Complications in pregnant women:

Eclampsia: seizures and coma are a serious complication for pregnant women. Eclampsia can begin before, during, or six weeks after delivery. It often begins with a severe headache, blurred vision, or altered consciousness.

Placental abruption is when the placenta separates from the uterine wall. It causes heavy bleeding and interferes with the baby’s ability to grow, putting both mother and baby at risk.

HELLP syndrome: with serious symptoms such as hemolysis, thrombocytopenia and elevated liver enzymes. Therefore, HELLP syndrome can lead to massive blood loss, blood clotting disorders, seriously affecting the health of both mother and child.

Damage to maternal organs: preeclampsia with symptoms of high blood pressure can cause pulmonary edema, damage to liver cells and glomeruli, increase the risk of cerebral hemorrhage or damage to the optic nerve causing blurred vision.

Cardiovascular disease: Preeclampsia can increase the risk of heart and blood vessel disease later in life, especially for women who have had multiple preeclampsias.

  • Fetal complications

Fetal growth retardation: Due to abnormalities in the placenta, the transport of nutrients to the fetus is reduced, causing the fetus to often develop in weight more slowly than the gestational age.

Preterm birth: One cause of premature birth that occurs between 22 and 37 weeks of pregnancy is called preeclampsia. Your doctor may also recommend early termination of pregnancy to treat uncontrolled preeclampsia.

Perinatal mortality: Complications of placental abruption or premature birth increase the risk of mortality.

Prevention of Preeclampsia:

Currently, there is no research that has determined the cause of preeclampsia or methods to completely prevent this dangerous complication for pregnant women.

Therefore, the most important and urgent thing is to prevent preeclampsia. Diet and lifestyle are very important to reduce the risk of eclampsia for pregnant women.

  • Increase DHA and EPA: Prevents preeclampsia. Salmon, cauliflower, walnuts, sesame seeds are some products containing Omega-3.
  • Pregnant women should be provided with enough calcium: throughout pregnancy to reduce the risk of preeclampsia by 49% and 82% in high-risk pregnant women. Milk, asparagus, okra, broccoli are some foods rich in calcium. In addition, to help reduce the risk of preeclampsia by 27%, mothers need to be provided with enough vitamin D. Products rich in calcium, such as shiitake mushrooms, whole grains and cod liver oil ..
  • Regular exercise: also helps mothers reduce the risk of preeclampsia. All pregnant women should also note that they must be closely monitored throughout the pregnancy. Mothers should see a doctor immediately if there are abnormalities for diagnosis and treatment.
  • Have prenatal checkups at least every three months to monitor fetal development and detect early symptoms.
  • Do not use tobacco or alcohol during pregnancy.
  • Increase your knowledge and ability to cope with illness by attending prenatal and postpartum classes.
  • Maintain a stable weight, not obese and not gaining weight too quickly.
  • Regular check-ups as directed by your doctor are necessary if you have preeclampsia.
  • Limit the amount of work and maintain a relaxed spirit.

Preeclampsia Treatment:

Until full term, mild preeclampsia can be monitored at home with routine check-ups and biochemical tests to assess the progression of the disease. Pregnant women must meet the following requirements:

  • Measure your blood pressure at home twice a day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
  • Daily, monitor fetal weight and movement
  • Get complete rest and avoid overwork.
  • Detect serious signs such as high blood pressure, poor vision, dizziness, etc.

Pregnant women need to be closely monitored at a specialized medical facility when preeclampsia progresses to a severe stage. The patient will be monitored for proteinuria, weight, and blood pressure 4 times a day.

Treatment of preeclampsia may include medications such as diazepam, the seizure prophylaxis drug magnesium sulfate, the blood pressure lowering drug hydralazine, nifedipine, or labetalol.

Immediate termination of pregnancy is necessary to ensure the life of the pregnant woman if severe preeclampsia does not respond to medical treatment or if eclampsia occurs. Before terminating the pregnancy, the pregnant woman must be stable for a period of 24-48 hours.

Conclude:

Your doctor may ask you to deliver your baby right away if you have severe preeclampsia, even if you are not yet full term. Symptoms of preeclampsia usually go away within 1 to 6 weeks, but they can continue for a longer period of time.

It is important to be proactive and have regular prenatal check-ups throughout your pregnancy. Accordingly, pregnant women should strictly follow their prenatal appointments to have their blood pressure measured and their urine protein checked to detect pre-eclampsia. Pregnant women should be advised and closely monitored by their doctors if they are at high risk of pre-eclampsia, such as diabetes, kidney disease, advanced pregnancy, or a family history of pre-eclampsia.


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