Eclampsia
Alternate Names : Toxemia with Seizures
What can be done to prevent the condition?
There are no known ways to prevent preeclampsia or eclampsia. All pregnant women should have early prenatal care. Blood pressure changes should be watched closely.
What are the long-term effects of the condition?
Eclampsia may cause pregnancy complications, including:
increased risk for cesarean section
intrauterine growth retardation, a lack of normal growth of the baby within the womb
placenta abruptio, or separation of the placenta from the uterine wall
premature labor
stillbirth
suffocation at birth, or asphyxia
Eclampsia can also cause health problems that affect mother and baby, including:
acute renal failure, or kidney failure
disseminated intravascular coagulation, or DIC, a clotting problem that causes widespread bleeding
HELLP syndrome, which includes liver and blood disorders
intracerebral hemorrhage and stroke
Rarely, a mother with eclampsia dies due to blood clots, liver or kidney failure, infection, or other complications. Women who have had eclampsia also have a higher lifetime risk of developing high blood pressure and dying due to heart attacks or strokes.
What are the risks to others?
Eclampsia is not contagious. Both mother and baby are at risk for complications of preeclampsia and eclampsia.
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