Author： Rogers Mike S
Publisher： Future Medicine
ISSN： 1745-5057
Source： Women's Health, Vol.3, Iss.5, 2007-09, pp. : 571-582
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Abstract
Pre-eclampsia is a multisystem disorder of pregnancy, usually characterized by the appearance of high blood pressure and the excretion of protein in the urine of a previously healthy woman. Symptoms and signs vary in intensity from woman to woman; from a borderline rise in blood pressure, to convulsions (eclampsia), stroke and death. The disease remits following removal of the placenta and so the mainstay of current treatment is timely delivery. A pathophysiological framework of the disease has been established, beginning with failures in placental development, inducing oxidative stress and release of compounds that lead to endothelial activation, vasoconstriction and glomerular endotheliosis. A combination of epidemiological, biophysical and biochemical tests now allow most patients at-risk to be identified by midpregnancy, whilst minimizing false-positive prediction. It is hoped that earlier classification of patients at-risk of the disease, on the basis of pathophysiological changes, will enable specific therapies to be developed targeting these changes.
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