Eclampsia                                                                   CAN IT KILL AN EXPECTANT WOMAN?

PRE-ECLAMPSIA is the name given to a duster of symptoms which can appear from the 20th week of pregnancy onwards. 

In medical terms it is referred to as pre-eclamptic toxaemia (PET), toxaemia, EPH gestosis or metabolic toxaemia of late pregnancy. This condition is life threatening to both the mother and the baby and needs to be attended to as soon as any of the related symptoms are noted.

Pre-eclampsia is a serious pregnancy condition that is characterised by three specific symptoms; oedema, high blood pressure and protein in urine.

Pre-eclampsia causes blood pressure to rise and puts the mother at risk of a stroke, impaired functioning of the kidneys, impaired functioning of the liver and blood clotting problems. High blood pressure (hypertension) hampers blood supply to the placenta which is the baby’s sole source of nutrients. This can result in poor development of the fetus.

Eclampsia is the final and most severe complication arising out of untreated pre-eclampsia. Its typical characteristic is convulsions. Eclampsia can cause a coma and even death of the mother and baby. It can occur before, during or after childbirth, even without any previous diagnosis or existing evidence of pre-eclampsia.

If during pregnancy a woman is diagnosed with two or all signs of eclampsia, caution has to be exercised and immediate action taken.

This underlies the importance of regular visits to the antenatal clinic. It is only at the antenatal clinic that the rise in blood pressure will be detected.

Urine samples are usually taken at every visit and tested for the presence of protein and blood sugar. Note that the symptoms of pre-eclampsia can start as early as 20 weeks into the pregnancy and every pregnant woman should have this in mind.

The severity of this disease varies from one woman to another. If not attended to, pre-eclampsia develops into a more severe form called eclampsia. In eclampsia the symptoms are worse with respect to the three major symptoms. In addition headaches, visual disturbances and epigastric pain (pain in the area below where the ribs join) may occur. Epigastric pain is caused by liver problems and it is often misdiagnosed as heartburn or indigestion.

Eclampsia may lead to epileptic-like fits. This is the stage that is responsible for many of the deaths. The disease will occur in only a proportion of the women and severity varies among those who get it. Some of these women may not have seen anyone with the disease before and the emotional disturbance that results only makes the condition worse.

It is therefore important that every pregnant woman attends antenatal clinics as soon as she discovers that she is pregnant. It is only during these visits that such a condition will be detected and treated.

What causes pre-eclampsia?

The causes are not known. It is common in first pregnancies, women carrying multiple babies, women who are over 40 years and in teenage mothers. It could also recur if it was present in the previous birth.

FACTS ABOUT ECLAMPSIA

What are the symptoms of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia?
Pre-eclampsia
? Raised blood pressure
? Abnormal swelling of the feet and hands
? Protein in the urine
? Sudden weight gain — over Vi kg in one day
? Intense and persistent severe headaches

Eclampsia
? Blurred vision or flashes
? Convulsions
? Restlessness
? Upper abnominal pain
? Visual impairment

What are the dangers of eclampsia?

Any woman with eclampsia is at risk of suffocating when the convulsions occur. It can also prevent the placenta from getting enough blood. The placenta supplies the baby with oxygen and food. If the baby does not get enough blood the result is low birth weight or infant death.

What is the prevention?

There is no evidence that eclampsia can be prevented by good diet, exercise or rest. The best a woman can do is to co-operate fully during her antenatal check-ups which are designed to check the earliest signs of preeclampsia which results in eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia causes blood pressure to rise and puts the mother at risk of a stroke

END: PG 3/19