What Should You Know About Pregnancy Hypertension (Pre-eclampsia)

• Rabab Ahmed
• 01/21/2020
• 1145
• 3,344

Pre-eclampsia , or what is known as pregnancy high blood pressure, is a condition that usually occurs late in pregnancy after the 20th week, in which a pregnant woman develops a sudden rise in blood pressure, ascites and swelling in the body, often in the extremities, in addition to the presence of protein in the urine, which is what It means that there is a kidney problem. 

When to consult your doctor: 

 You should consult your doctor immediately if you experience severe headaches, dizziness or severe pain in the upper abdomen, as headaches, nausea and abdominal pain may be normal in pregnancy, it is difficult especially for the first time pregnant mother to know whether these symptoms are normal or may It is dangerous, and therefore you should consult a doctor immediately. 

Symptoms of preeclampsia: 

Preeclampsia has many symptoms, such as:

• Severe swelling in the body

• Suddenly gaining weight without eating.

•Headache

• Visual disturbances.

• High blood pressure.

• Feeling of pain under the ribs.

Causes of preeclampsia: 

The main cause of preeclampsia is still mysterious, and some of the causes of preeclampsia include:

• Placenta problems:

Mostly, pregnancy preeclampsia is associated with the placenta that nourishes the child and all the food and oxygen he needs is reached, so there is a defect in the functioning of the placenta for this function. 

• The presence of toxins in the blood:

The presence of toxins in the blood of the mother who passes into the fetus through the placenta may cause preeclampsia.

• Malnutrition:

Some research has said that the underlying cause of pre- eclampsia is malnutrition, malfunctioning the immune system of the pregnant woman, and poor blood supply by the mother to the fetus.

• Genetic factor:

 Often if the mother of the woman or her husband's mother had pre- eclampsia during her pregnancy, the likelihood of the woman getting pre- eclampsia is greater. 

• Deficiency of vitamin (E), (C) and magnesium in the pregnant woman.

• Diabetes in a pregnant woman.

• Overweight:

 If the pregnant woman suffers from extra weight before pregnancy.

• Age of pregnant woman:

The more pregnant women are over 40 years of age, the greater the risk of gestation.

Diagnosis of preeclampsia: 

 The specialist doubts that the woman will be infected with pre- eclampsia in cases where she suffers from epileptic seizures, at which point the doctor will know the health history of the patient. Whereas in cases where the woman does not suffer from pre- eclampsia, the specialist doctor will order some tests to find out the cause of these epileptic seizures, and the most important of these tests are: 

• Blood tests:

Which aims to conduct tests to detect kidney and liver functions, in addition to examining the number of blood platelets in the blood to reveal the body's ability to coagulate the blood, in addition to that the blood test reveals hematocrit, which gives an impression of the number of red blood cells in the blood.

• Checking creatinine levels:

Creatinine can be defined as one of the wastes resulting from muscle metabolism, and it is worth the healthy urinary system to get rid of most of this creatinine to rid the blood of it, and that the occurrence of a problem in the filter causes the sufferer to suffer from a high level of creatinine, and this increase may indicate the suffering of women from the pre- poisoning stage Pregnancy, however, this examination alone is not sufficient to diagnose. 

• Urine examination:

It aims to detect the presence of protein in the urine and the speed of disposal by the body.

Prevention of preeclampsia: 

It is important for all pregnant women to maintain follow- up during pregnancy and after childbirth, but in certain cases and more than one risk factor the risk of infection can be reduced by taking a low dose of aspirin (0- 85 mg) once a day starting from the week 12 In addition to controlling some factors that contribute to high blood pressure, by: 

• Maintain a healthy weight.

• Control of chronic diseases when infected.

• Reducing the addition and use of salt.

• Avoid fried foods and fast food.

• Be sure to take adequate rest.

• Exercise regularly.

• Lifting the feet several times during the day.

• Avoid caffeinated drinks.