Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Preeclampsia

Abstract

Preeclampsia is one of most important hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. It is characterized by the new onset of hypertension and proteinuria, or of hypertension and significant end-organ dysfunction with or without proteinuria, in the last half of gestation or postpartum. It complicates about 2-8% of gestations and it is a well-known cause of maternal-perinatal morbidity and mortality. The risk factors for development of preeclampsia include genetic factors, sperm exposure, maternal smoking, pre-existing medical conditions (such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease and anti-phospholipid syndrome), and miscellaneous ones such as nulliparity, older maternal age and obesity. The clinical presentation of preeclampsia is varied. The main symptoms are headache, visual symptoms (including blindness), epigastric pain or nausea and vomiting. Preeclampsia is classified as mild and severe based on the degree of hypertension, laboratory and clinical findings. The most severe form is the development of eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. © 2020 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.