Contents:
- Medical Video: UTI Dangers During Pregnancy
- Causes of preeclampsia
- Who is at risk for preeclampsia?
- Symptoms and signs of preeclampsia
- What is the impact of preeclampsia?
- Then is preeclampsia treatable?
Medical Video: UTI Dangers During Pregnancy
Preeclampsia is a condition that occurs in pregnancies entering the age of 20 weeks, characterized by high blood pressure even though the pregnant woman has no history of hypertension. Preeclampsia is usually accompanied by symptoms of proteinuria (protein in urine), and swelling in the legs and arms. At least preeclampsia is experienced by 5 to 8 percent of pregnant women. In addition, it is known that more than 500 million women worldwide die from complications that occur in pregnancy. About 10 to 15 percent of these deaths are due to preeclampsia experienced by pregnant women.
Not only is maternal mortality high, preeclampsia causes 1,000 babies to die each year. There is no treatment that can cure preeclampsia in pregnant women, so this can be a frightening specter. However, pregnant women can maintain their health by knowing the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment, to reduce the risk of pregnant women experiencing more severe complications.
Causes of preeclampsia
Preeclampsia occurs because there is a disruption in growth and plesenta development, so this disrupts blood flow to the baby and mother. The placenta is a special organ formed during pregnancy and serves as a supplier of food and oxygen from mother to fetus. Food and oxygen are distributed through the bloodstream, therefore to support fetal growth and development, the placenta requires a large and constant supply of blood flow. But in mothers who have preeclampsia, the placenta does not get enough blood. This is thought to be due to the placenta not working properly to channel the blood flow, then disrupting blood vessels and blood pressure in the mother.
Why does the placenta not work properly? Right after the egg is fertilized by sperm, the prospective fetus will attach to the uterus as a place to grow until the birth process later. When the process occurs, the prospective fetus also forms a 'root' of the mother's blood vessels which then develops into the placenta. To make the root into a placenta, there must be adequate nutrition and food. When the food consumed by the mother does not contain nutrients needed in this development, the placenta will be disrupted and this causes preeclampsia to occur.
Not only that, increased blood pressure can cause disruption in the mother's kidneys, therefore mothers who experience preeclampsia also experience proteinuria, which is a condition in which the kidneys cannot filter protein properly so that protein is present in the urine.
Who is at risk for preeclampsia?
Various risk factors can cause preeclampsia to occur in pregnant women, namely:
- Mothers have a history or other health problems such as diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, high blood pressure, lupus, or antiphospholipid syndrome.
- Have a history of preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy. As many as 16% of mothers who have had preeclampsia, in subsequent pregnancies experience preeclampsia again.
- Pregnant at the age of 35 years or even less than 18 years
- Mothers who are pregnant for the first time
- Pregnant women who are obese
- Pregnant women who contain twins
- Mothers who have a 10-year pregnancy gap with a previous pregnancy
In addition, other risk factors that can cause preeclampsia are genetic factors, diet, blood vessel disorders, and autoimmune disorders.
Symptoms and signs of preeclampsia
Mothers who experience preeclampsia, usually will experience symptoms and signs as follows:
- Suddenly experience swelling of the face, feet, hands and eyes
- Blood pressure becomes very high, which is more than 140 / 90mmHg
- There is an increase in body weight in 1 or 2 days
- Pain in the upper abdomen
- Very severe headache
- Nausea and vomiting arise
- Blurred vision
- Decreased frequency and amount of urine
- There is protein in the urine (this is known after doing a urine check)
But sometimes pregnant women who do not experience preeclampsia also experience these signs and symptoms, therefore it is important to see a doctor during pregnancy
What is the impact of preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia can cause the placenta not to get enough blood flow which should be distributed to the fetus. This can cause various problems in fetal growth and development, because the fetus does not get enough food from the mother. Problems that often arise in the fetus due to the mother experiencing preeclampsia are low birth weight and preterm birth. This can even lead to growth problems when the child is born, such as impaired cognitive function, vision and hearing problems in children.
The condition of preeclampsia also causes various problems with maternal health, namely:
- Stroke
- Pneumonia
- Heart failure
- Blindness
- Bleeding to the liver
- Serious bleeding during childbirth
- Preeclampsia also causes the placenta to suddenly be cut off from the mother and fetus, thus causing stillbirth.
Then is preeclampsia treatable?
The only treatment or best treatment that can be done is by giving birth to a baby who is conceived. Therefore, you should discuss this with your doctor. If the baby has a good enough condition to be born (usually more than 37 weeks of age) then maybe the doctor will suggest a cesarean section or induction. This can prevent preeclampsia from worsening. But if the baby is declared not ready to be born, then the doctor will provide therapy to reduce the risk of preeclampsia getting worse
If preeclampsia experienced by pregnant women is not too severe, the following recommendations can be made to prevent preeclampsia getting worse:
- Bed rest or complete rest, this can be done at home or at the hospital to get better care.
- Do a routine check up to the doctor
- Eating more mineral water
- Reducing salt consumption
READ ALSO
- Why Pregnancy Should Be Planned Before
- Effects of Iron Deficiency and Anemia on Pregnancy
- 9 Health Conditions That Can Harm Pregnancy
