PREECLAMPSIA by Ms. Stephanie Ampofo

🔬CAMPUS RADIO HEALTH SEGMENT    11/02/2018 

🌈 THE MIDWIFE'S CORNER

Today's topic will be on Preeclampsia 

❇ WHAT IS PREECLAMPSIA?

✅ It is when a woman  has high blood pressure and protein in her urine during pregnancy. 

👩🏾‍⚕➡ It can occur at any point after the 20th week of pregnancy or earlier

❇ CAUSES OF PREECLAMPSIA

The specific cause is unknown but probable causes include: 

✅ diet

✅ genetic disorders

✅ autoimmune disorders

✅ blood vessel problems

👩🏾‍⚕➡ about 5 to 10%  of all pregnant women develop preeclampsia

❇ RISK FACTORS

They include:

✅ family history of preeclampsia

✅ chronic hypertension

✅ first pregnancy 

✅ aged over 35years 

✅ obesity

✅ chronic renal diseases

✅ diabetes

 CLINICAL MANIFESTATION

✅ frontal headache or global headache

✅ vomiting

✅ dizziness

✅ blurred vision

✅ pedal swelling

✅ high blood pressure

✅ tachycardia

✅ fetal distress 

✅ oedema 

❇ COMPLICATIONS

It can lead to:

✅ eclampsia

✅ liver damage

✅Cardiovascular accident (CVA)

✅ acute renal disease

✅ placenta abruption 

✅ In utero fetal death

✅ low birth weight

✅ kidney damage

👩🏾‍⚕➡ Eclampsia was the leading cause of maternal deaths in the Central region of Ghana in the year 2017

❇ PREVENTION

✅  education of pregnant women to help them check their full blood count( FBS) to rule out anemia or HELLP Syndrome

✅ urine test should be done during antenatal care to identify protein, glucose or blood in urine.

❇ TREATMENT

✅ antihypertensives 

✅ magnesium sulphate should be administered to prevent convulsion

✅ delivery of fetus must be the fastest and safe after stabilisation of the mother and fetus. 

   REFERENCES

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/preeclampsia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355745

https://.end.m.Wikipedia.org.

Midwife's Dictionary 

By: Stephanie Abena Serwaa Ampofo

(School of Nursing and Midwifery) 

Stephanieampofo89@gmail.com 

0266373596 

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