Research Paper On Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a possibly life threating condition woman, and the gestating fetus, can experience during pregnancy (1). It is characterized by high blood pressure and an abnormally high protein concentration present in the urine, often accompanied by serve headaches, upper abdominal pain and changes in vision. While not being the definitive hallmark of preeclampsia, high blood pressure is the most dangerous of the symptoms and can lead to multiple organ damage/failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, stroke, eclampsia (a condition described by the onset of seizures in tandem with the pathology outlined by preeclampsia) and maternal and fetal mortality. Preeclampsia typically manifests itself in the final trimester but it can occur earlier, often with a …show more content…
In addition to the physiological condition of the mother, the number of births carried to term and presence of more than one child in the womb at once (multiple gestation) also greatly affect the chances of developing preeclampsia. Unfortunately, the effects of preeclampsia are not always as shorted lived as the condition, women that experience preeclampsia are at an increasing risk for long term hypertension, ischemic heart disease, kidney disease, and possible strokes and venous thromboembolisms (2). Children who experience preeclampsia in the womb are also placed at risk for many future health complications as adults, again many of which overlap with that of those characterized by preterm births, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
The etiology of preeclampsia is complex but thought to be caused by abnormal placental development. During the implantation stage of the blastocyst, the trophoblast cells on the outside of the embryo attach to the endometrial lining of the uterus and the embryo begins to work its way into the endometrium (3). Shortly after