Preeclampsia: High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

9 March, 2010 No Comment

High blood pressure can be fatal to any person. But when high blood pressure arises during the pregnancy then it is known as preeclampsia. Hypertension or high blood pressure for a pregnant woman can lead to many problems including the bad health condition of baby.

This health condition is also known as pregnancy-induced hypertension or shortly PIH. This condition is called toxemia of pregnancy.

Types of high blood pressure during pregnancy:

Preeclampsia is characterized by the condition of high blood pressure and more existence of protein in the urine. This condition is seen during the last 20 weeks of the pregnancy. This condition puts both child and mother’s health at risk. But it vanishes after the child’s birth

Apart from preeclampsia, there are other two types of high blood pressure seen during pregnancy.

Gestational hypertension is a kind of high blood pressure, which vanishes after the baby’s birth. This is a pre-existing kind of hypertension. This occurs at the last half of the pregnancy,

Chronic hypertension is a kind of high blood pressure, which occurs before and during the first 20 weeks of the pregnancy. It doesn’t go away even after the child’s delivery

Who should take care about Preeclampsia during pregnancy?

Preeclampsia is not very common in all women. Most cases of hypertension are seen during the time of first-pregnancy. Few women develop preeclampsia during pregnancy while few women are not at risk. Let’s find out who are at more risk of preeclampsia or any kind of high blood pressure during pregnancy:

Pregnancy at wrong age like age more than 40 and less than 20 years.
Prior history of preeclampsia or any hypertension before the pregnancy
Women with obesity or over weight during or before the pregnancy
Women with certain medical conditions like diabetes, kidney problem, rheumatoid arthritis
Women carrying two or more than two babies

Symptoms of Preeclampsia
There are various alarming symptoms seen when women have preeclampsia during the pregnancy

More protein in the urine
Less production of urine
Abdominal pain
Nausea or vomiting
Headache problem
Sudden and excessive weight gain
Blurred vision
Swollen hands and face
Irritation or agitation

What are the signs of danger due to preeclampsia during pregnancy?
Preeclampsia can lead to many dangers during the pregnancy. Both baby and mother can face various problems like:

Low weight of the baby during birth
Early baby delivery
Reduction in blood and nutrient to the fetus
Mother or fetus death
Growth and development problem of fetus

Treatment for Preeclampsia
This condition should not be taken lightly as many risk factors are associated with it. Mothers are strictly advised to take bed rest and regular check up, and blood test is also recommended regularly in this case.