Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia
Description
- Placental disorder with systemic maternal endothelial dysfunction - the placenta is the disease, the mother shows the signs
- Proteinuria is NOT required for the diagnosis - a common and important error
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy - the four categories
| Definition | |
|---|---|
| Chronic hypertension | Pre-dating pregnancy or <20 weeks |
| Gestational hypertension | New hypertension >=20 weeks, no organ dysfunction; ~25% progress to pre-eclampsia |
| Pre-eclampsia | New hypertension >=20 weeks + maternal organ dysfunction OR uteroplacental dysfunction |
| Pre-eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension | New organ dysfunction or a step-up in BP/proteinuria |
- Eclampsia - generalised tonic-clonic seizure in pre-eclampsia not attributable to another cause
- ~1/3 occur postpartum, and up to 1/4 occur before hypertension or proteinuria is documented
- HELLP - Haemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelets; a severe variant, may occur without hypertension
6 more sections, plus exam facts
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