Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are forms of high blood pressure that occurduring pregnancy and are accompanied by protein in the urine and edema(swelling). As the names suggest, these two disorders are related.Pre-eclampsia, sometimes called toxemia of pregnancy, may develop into the moresevere eclampsia, which is pre-eclampsia together with seizure. Theseconditions usually develop during the second half of pregnancy (after 20weeks), though sometimes they develop shortly after birth, and, in very raresituations, they occur before 20 weeks of pregnancy.

You are at increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia if:

• This is your first pregnancy.
• Your mother or sister had pre-eclampsia or eclampsia during pregnancy.
• You are carrying more than one baby.
• You are a teenager.
• You are over 40 years old.
• You already have high blood pressure, kidney disease or diabetes.
• You are a smoker.
• You are obese.
• You suffer from malnutrition.
• You carry a baby with so-called "non-immune hydrops."

If you are pregnant, increasing blood pressure may not make you feeldifferent until it is dangerously high. So you should watch for signs ofpre-eclampsia. If you develop pre-eclampsia, the first thing you notice may berapid weight gain, on the order of two to five pounds in a single week. Manypregnant women have swelling of their feet or legs; however, swelling of yourface or arms may be a sign of pre-eclampsia. If pre-eclampsia progresses frommild to moderate or severe, you may begin to notice other symptoms. Headache,vision changes and abdominal pain should prompt concern.

It is dangerous to allow blood pressure to stay high during pregnancy. Highblood pressure may interfere with the placenta's ability to deliver oxygen andnutrition to your fetus, so your baby may be born weighing less than normal andmay have other health problems. If your blood pressure continues to get higherand higher, your kidneys may have trouble functioning. You may have changes inthe makeup of your blood, such as destruction of red blood cells (causinganemia), disturbed liver function, and decreased platelets (blood cellsinvolved in clotting). Too few platelets can increase your risk of bleedinguncontrollably during delivery or even spontaneously. Your blood pressure maycontinue to climb, and you may develop seizures.

Once you begin to have seizures, you are considered to have eclampsia. Thisis a life-threatening situation for both you and your baby. During a seizure,you and your baby are at risk of being deprived of oxygen. In addition, thehigh blood pressure may cause the placenta to begin to separate from the wallof the uterus (called abruptio placentae). This can cause severe bleeding anddeath of the fetus and possibly the mother.

Symptoms

• Rapid weight gain
• Swelling of the arms or face
• Headache
• Changes in vision (blurred vision, seeing double, seeing spots oflight)
• Dizziness, faintness
• Ringing in the ears
• Abdominal pain
• Decreased production of urine
• Nausea, vomiting
• Blood in vomit or urine
• Confusion
• Seizures