Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a condition in which blood pressure increases with the presence of protein in the urine. This condition can occur in pregnant women with a gestation period of more than 20 weeks.
Information

Preeclampsia condition must be treated immediately to prevent complications. In addition, prompt treatment is also useful for preventing the development of the condition into eclampsia which can threaten the life of the fetus and mother. The condition of preeclampsia is more prone to occur in pregnant women who are more than 40 years old.

Symptom

Symptoms that will appear and be felt by people with preeclampsia are as follows:

1.     Hypertension or high blood pressure
2.     Proteinuria is the presence of protein in the urine
3.     Severe headache that lasts continuously
4.     Vision becomes impaired, vision becomes blurry or more sensitive to light
5.     Upper right abdomen has pain
6.     Shortness of breath
7.     Dizziness, not feeling well and the body feels weak
8.     The frequency of urination and the volume of urine also decreases
9.     Nausea and vomiting
10.     Swelling that occurs in the legs, face, hands and other body parts
11.     Sudden weight gain

Reason

The exact cause of this disease is not known. Even so, this disease is thought to be caused by an abnormality in the function of the placenta which is useful for distributing nutrients and blood to the fetus.

This disorder causes the blood vessels to become narrowed and there are different reactions that arise in the body of pregnant women to hormonal changes. This causes blood flow to the placenta to be limited.

The causes of this condition are:

1.     Insufficient blood flow to the uterus
2.     Damage to blood cells
3.     Problems with the immune system
4.     Can be caused by certain genes

Risk Factor

A number of these factors can trigger the risk of preeclampsia, including:

1.     Have or are suffering from certain diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, autoimmune, hypertension or blood disorders.
2.     Previously had preeclampsia.
3.     Just got pregnant for the first time.
4.     Pregnant again after a 10 year gap with previous pregnancies.
5.     Pregnant under the age of 20 years or pregnant at the age of more than 40 years.
6.     Contain more than one fetus.
7.     Being obese during pregnancy, this condition is characterized by a body mass (BMI) 30 kg/m2.
8.     Pregnancy that is happening is the result of the method of IVF (in vitro fertilization).
9.     Have a family history of preeclampsia.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made through the following methods:

1.     The doctor will ask about the symptoms and complaints experienced by the patient, including the patient's and family's medical history.
2.     A thorough physical examination will be carried out, including checking blood pressure, respiratory rate, swelling in the legs, hands and feet. In addition, a pulse, body temperature, and condition of the womb will also be checked.
3.     If the patient or pregnant woman has a blood pressure of more than 140/90 mmHg on examinations carried out for 2 times within 4 hours, the doctor will conduct an examination to confirm the diagnosis of preeclampsia. The inspection includes:

        Urine test. This test is done to determine the level of protein in the urine.
        Blood test, this test aims to check kidney function, liver and platelet count.
        Ultrasound is done to see the growth of the fetus.
        Doppler ultrasound, is done with the aim of knowing how efficient the blood flow to the placenta is.
        The nonstress test is used to measure the fetal heart rate while it is moving in the womb.