Eclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy, characterized by repeated episodes of seizures, followed by coma, and can be fatal if not treated immediately. This disease is most common during the last 3 months of pregnancy, however, it can occur at any time after the 20th week of gestation, during childbirth or even after delivery.
Eclampsia is a serious manifestation of preeclampsia, which causes high blood pressure, greater than 140 x 90 mmHg, presence of proteins in the body and swelling of the body by water retention, but although these diseases are related, all women with preeclampsia, the disease progresses to eclampsia. Learn how to identify preeclampsia and when it may become severe.
Symptoms of eclampsia include
Seizures in eclampsia are usually widespread, last about 1 minute, and can progress to coma.
Eclampsia can also occur after the birth of the baby, especially in women who have had preeclampsia during pregnancy, so it is important to keep the evaluation even after delivery, so that any signs of worsening can be identified and should not leave the hospital. . after normalizing the pressure and improving symptoms. Find out what the main symptoms are and how postpartum eclampsia occurs.
The causes of eclampsia are related to the implantation and development of blood vessels in the placenta, as lack of blood supply to the placenta causes the production of substances that, when it falls into circulation, alter blood pressure and cause kidney damage.
Risk factors for developing eclampsia may include
The way to prevent eclampsia is to monitor blood pressure during pregnancy and perform the prenatal tests needed to detect any indicative changes in this disease as soon as possible.
Eclampsia, unlike common high blood pressure, does not respond to diuretics or a low-salt diet, so treatment usually includes:
Magnesium sulfate in the vein is the most common treatment for eclampsia, which works by controlling seizures and falling into a coma. Treatment should be done after hospitalization and a health care professional should administer magnesium sulfate directly into the vein.
During hospitalization, the pregnant woman should rest as much as possible, preferably lying on the left side, to improve blood flow to the baby.
Childbirth is the only way to cure eclampsia, but induction can be delayed with medications so your baby can develop as much as possible.
Thus, during treatment, a daily clinical examination should be performed every 6 hours to monitor the progression of eclampsia, and if there is no improvement, delivery should be induced as soon as possible, in order to resolve the seizures caused. Eclampsia.
Although eclampsia usually improves after delivery, complications can occur in the following days, so the woman should be closely monitored and when signs of eclampsia are observed, hospitalization can last from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the severity of the problem and possible complications.
Eclampsia can cause some complications, especially if not treated quickly as soon as it is identified. One of the main complications is HELLP syndrome, which is characterized by a severe deterioration of blood circulation, characterized by the destruction of red blood cells, decreased platelets and damage of liver cells, resulting in an increase in liver enzymes and bibines in blood tests. Learn more about what IT is and how to treat HELLP syndrome.
Other possible complications include decreased blood flow to the brain, resulting in neurological damage, as well as water retention in the lungs, shortness of breath, and kidney or liver failure.
In addition, babies may also be affected, with developmental problems or the need to anticipate delivery. In some cases, the baby may not be fully developed and there may be problems, such as breathing difficulties, that require follow-up by the neonatologist and, in some cases, admission to the ICU to provide better care.