Risk subjects and causes of preeclampsia

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Hong On - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

Preeclampsia is a systemic pregnancy syndrome caused by pregnancy in the last 3 months of pregnancy (from the 20th week) with 3 symptoms: hypertension, proteinuria and edema.

Preeclampsia is the period that occurs before a seizure occurs. Severe cases of preeclampsia will affect the heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs of pregnant women. In addition, seizures (also known as eclampsia) can cause serious brain damage. Pre-eclampsia also reduces blood flow to the placenta, this long-term condition causes fetal malnutrition, reduced amniotic fluid and even stillbirth in the uterus.
Currently, there are no means or drugs that can treat preeclampsia.
With mild preeclampsia: (i.e. preeclampsia with only hypertension not exceeding 160/110 mmHg with protein in the urine) can be treated as an outpatient, without hospitalization, but should be closely monitored.
If there is a high risk of preeclampsia, the best, most definitive treatment is termination of the pregnancy. However, the time of termination of pregnancy also needs to be ensured with risk factors for the health of the mother and the health of the baby.
If it is too early, the baby will have many complications caused by premature birth, if it is too late, the condition of pre-eclampsia can be life-threatening for the mother, especially in severe pre-eclampsia.
Therefore, the time to terminate pregnancy is still a dilemma that needs careful consideration with both doctors and families. Therefore, in order for the pregnancy to take place completely and safely, pregnant women need to be regularly and closely monitored to ensure the safety of both mother and child.

To date, the etiology of preeclampsia is not clearly understood. In fact, any woman can develop preeclampsia during pregnancy. However, the incidence will be higher in some high-risk populations.

Women need to pay attention to early examination if there is a risk of pre-eclampsia through external signs such as:
Sudden rise in blood pressure There is protein in the urine, a small amount of urine. Headache, upper abdominal pain, vomiting and nausea. Visibility decreased. Examples: Temporary loss of vision, blurred vision, sensitivity to light. Decreased platelets in the blood. Decreased liver function. Shortness of breath. Whole body edema.

Maternal risk factors
Pregnant women with certain disorders such as hemophilia, a history of diabetes, kidney disease, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, or an autoimmune disease such as lupus (skin sores) before there,... Pregnant women with high blood pressure before pregnancy Having relatives in the family such as grandmothers, mothers, aunts, uncles... have pre-eclampsia. The pregnant woman herself has had preeclampsia. Being obese, overweight in pregnancy Reflections in uterine distension in multiple pregnancies, large fetuses. Uterine-placental ischemia Women who are pregnant for the first time Women who are 40 years old or older The mother has unhealthy lifestyle habits: Smoking, alcohol,... Weakness Risk factors from the fetus
The risk of preeclampsia is also higher in some cases such as:
Polyhydramnios. Reflections in uterine distension in multiple pregnancies, macrosomia. Uterine-placental ischemia

Pre-eclampsia is a dangerous disease, but it can be detected early by going to a medical facility periodically for clinical examination and performing some screening tests, checking right in the first trimester of pregnancy such as:
Blood pressure measurement A blood test measures the levels of PlGF (Placental growth factor) and sFlt-1 in the mother's blood. Normally, PlGF increases in the first 2 trimesters of pregnancy and gradually decreases in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. In pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia, this substance is greatly reduced in the mother's blood during pregnancy. Measure mean arterial blood pressure Abdominal ultrasound measures the uterine artery pulse index. In summary, preeclampsia is a serious obstetric event occurring from the 20th week of pregnancy, which should be closely monitored because preeclampsia can lead to many dangerous complications for both mother and baby. The prevention of complications can happen early if you follow the antenatal care fully and monitor your pregnancy in accordance with the advice of your doctor.