子痫前期是一种严重的 并发症 这发生在怀孕期间, 通常是短期的, but can occur as early as 20 weeks or even after delivery. It is most commonly characterized by hypertension (高血压)和尿液中的蛋白质.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preeclampsia happens in about 每25次怀孕中就有1次 在美国.
抓住它至关重要
子痫前期 can be life-threatening for both mom and baby, so catching and treating it early is very important to lower the chances of further problems.
“It’s called preeclampsia because it happens before a condition called eclampsia, which are seizures that happen because someone has swelling their brain,” Lauren Theilen，医学博士， an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Utah Health. “Poorly controlled preeclampsia can have dangerous effects on many different parts of the body.”
Besides eclampsia, untreated preeclampsia can lead to the following:
识别症状
Regular prenatal appointments are important to check your blood pressure. Monitoring it regularly, especially later in 怀孕, is crucial to catching preeclampsia.
其他症状包括：
- 肿胀手、脚和脸的肿胀
- Sudden weight gain over one or two days
- Headaches that don’t go away with usual treatments
- Vision changes, such as blurred vision or seeing spots
- 呼吸急促（气促）
- 恶心或呕吐
- Abdominal pain, especially in the upper right quadrant
- 小便少
It is also possible to have preeclampsia with no symptoms at all.
“It’s important to keep up with blood pressure surveillance because some people, 即使有严重的先兆子痫, 可能感觉没有什么不同.”
知道你是否处于危险之中
An exact cause of preeclampsia is unknown, so it’s difficult to accurately predict who will develop preeclampsia and who won’t. However, some risk factors make it more likely. If you have any of the following risk factors, be sure to communicate with your prenatal care team so they can monitor your 怀孕 accordingly:
- History of preeclampsia in a previous 怀孕
- 第一次怀孕
- 慢性高血压
- 糖尿病
- 肥胖
- Pregnancy with multiples (twins, triplets, or more)
- 高龄产妇（35岁以上）
- 子痫前期家族史
- 肾脏疾病
- 自身免疫性疾病，如狼疮
- 社会经济因素
“Even people without risk factors will sometimes get preeclampsia, but knowing those risk factors can be helpful in identifying those who would benefit from preventive treatments like aspirin,”Theilen说. “I would encourage all pregnant people to talk to their prenatal care provider about whether they should take aspirin because it’s the only thing that we know reduces the risk of preeclampsia.”
诊断后的治疗
子痫前期 ranges from moderate to severe, but the only way to cure the condition is to deliver the baby. If you have severe preeclampsia, your doctor will likely recommend preterm delivery before 37 weeks.
“Because of all the potential bad things that can happen to moms and babies, sometimes delivery has to be recommended earlier than would be ideal,泰伦说. “We’re balancing the risks related to prematurity against the risks of stillbirth and major maternal health problems associated with a preeclampsia diagnosis.”
Mild cases of preeclampsia can be monitored outside the hospital with frequent blood pressure checks, 胎儿健康检查, 还有实验室工作. Severe cases of preeclampsia should be treated with blood pressure medication and more frequent checks of maternal and fetal well-being in the hospital. Recommended delivery timing depends on the severity of the disease.
了解什么是子痫前期, 它的症状和体征, and whether you have risk factors can help you get the proper prenatal care for a healthy 怀孕.
“Pregnant patients can bring any signs or symptoms to the attention of their health care team and advocate for themselves if they feel like something is not quite right,泰伦说. “That way we can make sure we detect preeclampsia and take appropriate care of it.”
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