Pre-Eclampsia: Classification and Description
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy include pre-eclampisia superimposed upon chronic hypertension, and transient hypertension (Lenfant et al. 1990). Chronic hypertension that is present and observable before pregnancy or is diagnosed before the twentieth week of gestation. Pre-eclampsia is determined by the increase blood pressure after 20 weeks of gestation accompanied by proteinuria, edema, or both (Cunningham et al., 1993; Roberts 1994).
Pre-eclampsia is classified as mid or severe. A woman with the classic symptomatology may be diagnosed as with mild pre-eclampsia if the following criteria are met:
• Increase of 30 systolic of 15 diastolic over the blood pressure before 20 weeks of gestation, or blood pressure > 140/90 if there is no evidence of hypertension before pregnancy
• Increase in MAP of 20mm of MAP ? 120 and proteinuria of + 1 or 0.3 g/L in 24 hours, or
• Edema, by appearance of generalized edema or rapid weight gain.
Severe pre-eclampsia is diagnosed when the following criteria are present:
• Blood pressure ? 160/110 recorded on at least two occasions at least 6 hours apart.
• Proteinuria of +3 of +4, or 5 g/L or more in 24 hours.
• Ologuiria less than or equal to 500 mL in 24 hours
• Cerebral or visual changes.
• Epigastric pain
• Pulmonary edema or cyanosis
