Eclampsia Symptoms

Eclampsia is a dangerous and life-threatening complication of pregnancy that occurs when women are not adequately treated for the condition pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia refers to the onset of high blood pressure and proteinuria that occurs around 20 weeks into a pregnancy. Eclampsia is essentially pre-eclampsia accompanied by a form of generalized seizure called tonic–clonic seizure.

In the UK, pre-eclampsia progresses to eclampsia in around one in 4,000 pregnancies. If eclampsia goes untreated, it is usually fatal to both the mother and the baby. If a mother develops pre-eclampsia, the only way to manage the condition is to deliver the baby. However, if the pre-eclampsia is diagnosed at a stage too early to deliver the baby, the mother and baby require careful monitoring while the baby develops and matures to a stage where delivery is safe.

Pre-eclampsia can develop in the absence of any symptoms. It is therefore essential to monitor the maternal blood pressure as a routine part of prenatal care. The blood pressure is considered abnormal if two readings of 140/90 mmHg or higher are obtained when the mother is tested at least four hours apart.

Some of the symptoms of pre-eclampsia include:

• Excess protein in the urine, referred to as proteinuria
• Visual disturbances such as blurred vision, loss of vision or sensitivity to light
• Severe headache
• Abdominal pain, usually in the upper right portion of the abdomen
• Decreased urine output
• Impaired liver function
• Difficulty breathing
• Decreased blood platelet number (thrombocytopenia)
• Nausea, vomiting
• Sudden weight gain and accumulation of fluid (edema), especially in the hands and face

Risk factors for pre-eclampsia

The factors listed below are associated with an increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia:

• First pregnancy
• Age older than 40 years
• Pre-eclampsia in a previous pregnancy
• Underlying vascular disorders such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease
• Twin or multiple pregnancy
• A family history of pre-eclampsia

If the signs of pre-eclampsia are ignored, a mother is at risk of going on to develop eclampsia. Eclampsia is diagnosed based on the development of tonic-clonic seizures or coma in a pregnant woman who has no pre-existing brain disorders. If this condition develops, delivery of the baby will be arranged regardless of how developed the pregnancy is.

A convulsion is usually preceded by a loss of vision, headaches, nausea and vomiting. The seizures generally last for less than a minute, during which jerky, repetitive movements of the arms, neck, jaw and legs are seen. Although women generally recover fully from a fit, there is a small risk that permanent brain damage or disability will occur if a fit is severe. Occasionally, the mother does not experience any convulsions but instead falls straight into a coma. On awakening from the coma, some women experience a temporary loss of vision.

Around one in fifty women who develop eclampsia die from the condition and around 1 in 14 babies die during a convulsion, due to suffocation.

• http://anesth-chips.fr/IMG/pdf/MATER_ECLAMPsieCAT_Sibai_OG_05.pdf
• www.acog.org/.../HypertensioninPregnancy.pdf
• http://www.preeclampsia.org/pdf/PIIS193317110800185X.pdf
• http://www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-information/directory/p/pre-eclampsia
• http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/preeclampsia/basics/complications/con-20031644
• http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/gynecology_and_obstetrics/abnormalities_of_pregnancy/preeclampsia_and_eclampsia.html
• http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pre-eclampsia/Pages/Complications.aspx