DISEASE OVERVIEW
Symptoms
Although preeclampsia is potentially fatal, it is often asymptomatic. Preeclampsia is diagnosed and characterized by high blood pressure (hypertension), swelling from fluid retention (edema), and protein in the urine (proteinuria). Other common symptoms include headaches, dizziness, and blurred vision.
Diagnosis
Preeclampsia can be diagnosed as early as the 20th week of pregnancy, but most commonly after the 32nd week of pregnancy.
Causes
The cause of preeclampsia is ultimately unknown. However, scientists have studied the mechanisms of preeclampsia in great detail. There is substantial evidence to suggest that certain biomarkers play a key role in the blood vessel dysfunction that leads to the life-threatening symptoms of preeclampsia.
When a woman becomes pregnant, she produces certain growth hormones, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF); these are necessary for the mother to properly regulate her blood pressure and for the placenta to develop normally. However, preelcamptic women produce an excessive amount of growth factor receptors (sFlt-1, also known as soluble VEGF receptor-1) that are released into the blood circulation. The sFlt-1 receptors bind to the growth factors (VEGF and PlGF) while in circulation, and prevents them from binding to receptors on vital organs (e.g. kidney, liver, and brain). This triggers several adverse reactions in the pregnant woman, ultimately manifesting as preeclampsia.
Treatment
Preeclampsia can be life-threatening to both the mother and the developing baby. Left untreated, preeclampsia could lead to several serious complications for the mother, including HELLP syndrome (kidney and liver failure), eclampsia (seizures), and death.
Treatment options for preeclampsia are limited, however preeclampsia management seeks to prolong pregnancy as much as possible. This is achieved by administering blood pressure medication if possible, and by constant monitoring of blood pressure and kidney function. Expectant management continues as long as the mother’s blood pressure remains stable, there are no signs of organ failure, and there is no fetal distress. If the condition worsens, the only option to save the life of the mother is to deliver the baby prematurely. At that point, the mother may receive anticonvulsants to prevent seizures and/or steroid therapy to help fetal lung development.
Premature delivery is a major cause of lifelong complications for the baby. The impact of premature delivery includes significant neurological damage, chronic lung disease, sensory defects such as deafness or blindness, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and/or learning disorders. Preeclampsia may also lead to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) – a condition that results in malnourishment of the fetus, often with lifelong consequences.
Advanced Prenatal Therapeutics is developing a novel treatment for preeclampsia that seeks to prolong pregnancy so that the baby is born at term or as close to term as possible.
Costs
Apart from the human toll on patients and their families, the financial burden of preeclampsia is enormous. In 2005, the annual societal economic cost associated with premature birth was at least $26.2 billion. In 2003, it was estimated that neonatal hospital costs averaged $202,700 for a delivery at 25 weeks; costs decreased to $2,600 for a delivery at 36 weeks. Preeclampsia also impacts the workplace from loss of productivity as well as increased financial burden to employer-sponsored health insurance plans.
PREECLAMPSPIA RESOURCES
Preeclampsia Tool Kit
Preeclampsia Resource Overview
PREECLAMPSPIA NEWS
May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month
May 01, 2019
Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal mortality and prematurity. Visit the Preeclampsia Foundation website to learn more about the disease and what you can do to help. Know the signs and symptoms, and pass the word using #PreeclampsiaAwarenessMonth
USA TODAY Investigates Maternal Deaths and Injuries
March 06, 2019
Every year, thousands of women suffer life-altering injuries or die during childbirth because hospitals and medical workers skip safety practices known to head off disaster, a USA TODAY investigation has found. See the story in infographics here.
Bill and Melinda Gates Call For Extending Pregnancy
February 12, 2019
In their latest annual letter, Bill and Melinda Gates emphasize the need to understand and address the causes of premature birth. The letter, which outlines nine things that have surprised them during their work with their foundation, expresses their surprise at how little we know about prematurity and emphasizes that extending pregnancy is an important goal as we strive to increase our understanding of the issue.
"Prematurity is not binary. It matters a lot how early a baby is born; a baby born at 36 weeks is much better off than a baby born at 34 weeks. Our goal should not be to prevent prematurity categorically, which may be impossible anyway. Instead, it should be to extend pregnancies closer to full term for everyone. And we’re finally starting to fill the gaps in our knowledge about how to do so."
Read more about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation here.
Pregnancy disorder exacts toll on mothers, babies, healthcare funds
August 01, 2017
(Reuters Health) - A little-understood syndrome likely afflicted nearly 157,000 pregnant women and new mothers in the United States in 2012, killed 72 of them, and cost the U.S. healthcare system more than $2 billion, researchers estimate.
U.S. Has The Worst Rate of Maternal Deaths in the Developed World
May 12, 2017
The ability to protect the health of mothers and babies in childbirth is a basic measure of a society's development. Yet every year in the U.S., 700 to 900 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes, and some 65,000 nearly die — by many measures, the worst record in the developed world.
NPR and ProPublica teamed up for a six-month long investigation on maternal mortality in the U.S.