Pre-Eclampsia: An Introduction
Pre-eclampsia or eclampsia is common among Filipino women. Here is a short introduction to pre-eclampsia:
Most women enter pregnancy in apparent good health and achieve a normal pregnancy and delivery without complications. In few women however, for reasons which are usually unclear, unexpected deviations, from the course of normal pregnancy develops such complications that threaten the pregnancy outcome, the women health or both (Pilliteri, 1999).
There are various abnormalities, which fall under the category of pregnancy complications. One major complication is the mild or severe pre-eclampsia.
Pre-eclampsia is the name given to a cluster of symptoms, which can appear from the 20th week of pregnancy onwards. It is also called Pregnancy – Induced Hypertension (Clinical Reference System, 1997).
Originally, it was called Toxemia of Pregnancy because researches then pictured a toxin of some kind being released by a woman in response to the foreign protein of the growing fetus; the toxin reading to the typical symptoms of the Hypertension, proteinuria and edema. This is absolute since there is no identified toxin according to Pilliteri (1999).
One Response to "Pre-Eclampsia: An Introduction"
December 10th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
The nature and consequences of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia must be made known to all pregnant women. This is to precaution them to observe certain practices to protect both themselves and their baby. These two conditions are indeed life-threatening, thus, must not be considered lightly. The appropriate agencies should conduct a campaign in order to inform all people, male or female, pregnant or not, about the existence of such kind of condition.
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