Preeclampsia – What are the Causes and Symptoms of Preeclampsia?

Preeclampsia is a complex condition linked to high blood pressure during pregnancy. It’s a severe condition usually characterized by edema, protein in the urine, and high blood pressure. The condition occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Even so, it can still develop after the baby has been born. It can arise up to six weeks after giving birth.
Medical practitioners usually refer to the toxemia or toxemia of pregnancy. Between 5–14% of pregnancies are complicated with Preeclampsia globally. It’s, therefore, a severe condition.
In most cases, Preeclampsia occurs during a woman’s first pregnancy. In some cases, it appears for the first time in a subsequent pregnancy. However, not all pregnancies complicated with blood pressure are related to Preeclampsia. Therefore, you should visit a health facility near you that offers emergency care when you first observe preeclampsia symptoms.
If you are unsure where to get the preeclampsia emergency room near you, visit Memorial Village Emergency Room. They offer expert emergency treatment in Houston, Tx. The earlier treatment is a guarantee of tremendous success. Book an appointment with a facility with highly qualified health experts such as Memorial Village ER.

Causes of Preeclampsia

As of now, there are no known exact causes of Preeclampsia. Health experts believe that a dysfunction usually causes the condition in the endothelial cells (blood cells lining). Without known causes, there are also no practical tests that can predict the occurrence of Preeclampsia. Similarly, there is no treatment available to prevent the condition from occurring.
Some factors put a woman at a higher risk of developing Preeclampsia. They include:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• A previous case of Preeclampsia Women with over 35 years
• Multiple gestations
• History of high blood pressure beforehand
• Other medical conditions (kidney disease and connective tissue disease)
• Hereditary reasons
• Women of African American origin

Preeclampsia is also associated with placenta issues. It may be because of too much or too little placenta or how it attaches to the uterus wall. It’s usually associated with a hydatidiform. There is neither a normal placenta nor a normal baby. Sadly, there are nothing doctors or women can do to prevent the condition.

Symptoms of Preeclampsia

Like many other conditions, Preeclampsia usually sends some early signs that doctors can use to contain the disease appropriately. However, some symptoms vary based on the affected organ systems. Also, other changes either affect the baby or the mother or both of them. While some symptoms show warning signs, others do not.
The symptoms to watch out for include;

• Kidney’s inability to filter blood

When the kidney cannot filter blood effectively, protein becomes present in urine. The occurrence of protein in the urine is only observable after the doctor takes a urine sample at a health care. In severe cases, the amount of urine produced decreases significantly.

• High blood pressure

HBP is the hallmark of Preeclampsia. In most cases, it’s usually the first sign to signal a potential problem. You can contain HBP until a woman gives birth. Oddly, blood pressure widely varies across different women and varies based on the progression of the disease.

• Nervous system changes

Some changes related to the nervous system occur. You start getting blurry vision, temporal blindness, convulsions, seeing spots, and severe headaches. These symptoms usually require immediate medical care.

• Pain in the upper abdomen

The body picks some liver-related problems causing pain in the upper abdomen. It may be confused with gallbladder disease or indigestion and thus requires a specialist.

• Decreased activity of the baby

When there are problems with the placenta, there is reduced blood flow which starves the baby’s nutrients leading to decreased growth. Besides the baby appearing smaller than expected, they might appear sluggish, requiring immediate medical attention.

• Sudden weight gain
• Edema (swelling of the lower body)

Conclusion

Since there are numerous symptoms and risk factors, it’s advisable to visit emergency care when you experience minimalist symptoms to contain the disease before it progresses. In addition, expert health care is necessary to rule out other conditions that may portray similar symptoms to Preeclampsia. Above all, pregnant women should adhere to antenatal and post-natal clinics to be safe.