Pre-eclampsia
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In obstetrics, pre-eclampsia is "a complication of pregnancy, characterized by a complex of symptoms including maternal hypertension and proteinuria with or without pathological edema. Symptoms may range between mild and severe. Pre-eclampsia usually occurs after the 20th week of gestation, but may develop before this time in the presence of trophoblastic disease.[1]
The presence of pre-eclampsia is defined by:[2]
- Systolic blood pressure greater than 140mm, or diastolic blood pressure greater than 90mm, after 20 weeks of gestation
- Proteinuria in excess of 0.3 grams in 24 hours.
It progresses to severe pre-eclampsia with the criteria:
- Systolic blood pressure greater than 160mm, or diastolic blood pressure greater than 110mm
- Proteinuria in excess of 5 grams in 24 hours or a 4+ by dipstick
- Oliguria with urinary output less than 500 ml in 24 hours
- Thrombocytopenia
- The HELLP syndrome of hemolysis, eleveted liver enzymes, and low platelets
- Pulmonary edema
- Fetal growth restriction
References
- ↑ Anonymous (2024), Pre-eclampsia (English). Medical Subject Headings. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- ↑ William R. Crombleholme (2005), Chapter 18, Obstetric, in Lawrence M. Tierney Jr., Stephen J. McPhee, Maxine A. Papadakis, Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment (Forty-fourth Edition ed.), Lange/McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0071453237, pp. 747-759