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Pre-eclampsia

Praeeclampsia · Preeklampsie

female only

What it is

A placental disorder that raises blood pressure and damages organs after 20 weeks.

Symptoms & signs

  • High blood pressure
  • protein in urine
  • swelling
  • headache
  • visual flashes
  • upper abdominal pain
  • seizures in eclampsia

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Severe headache, flashing lights or blurred vision
  • call 112 / 911 now Pain under the ribs on the right, vomiting or a seizure
  • call 112 / 911 now Breathlessness or baby moving less
  • see a doctor soon Sudden swelling of face, hands or feet

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Aspirin 150 mg from 12 weeks in at-risk women (preterm pre-eclampsia 1.6% vs 4.3% in the ASPRE trial)
  • labetalol or nifedipine
  • magnesium sulfate for seizure prevention
  • delivery is the cure
  • postnatal follow-up
  • sFlt-1/PlGF ratio testing to rule out pre-eclampsia — FDA-cleared 2023, in NICE guidance

Natural & lifestyle

  • Calcium supplementation where intake is low
  • blood-pressure monitoring at home
  • early booking and antenatal care

Emerging & experimental

  • Metformin and esomeprazole trials to prolong pregnancy
  • apheresis for early-onset disease

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • L-arginine — small trials of prevention early / small studies
  • Magnesium supplements — small trials early / small studies
  • Vitamins C and E — large trials found no prevention not confirmed in trials

ICD codes