Treatment and prevention The only known definitive treatment for eclampsia or advancing pre-eclampsia is delivery, either by labor induction or Caesarean section of both fetus and placenta.[3] However, post-partum pre-eclampsia may occur up to six weeks following delivery even if symptoms were not present during the pregnancy. Post-partum pre-eclampsia is dangerous to the health of the mother since she may ignore or dismiss symptoms as simple post-delivery headaches and edema. Hypertension can sometimes be controlled with anti-hypertensive medication, but any effect this might have on the progress of the underlying disease is unknown. Thrombophilias may be weakly linked to pre-eclampsia. There are no high quality studies to suggest that blood thinners will prevent pre-eclampsia in thrombophilic women.[35] Smoking cessation In low-risk pregnancies the association between cigarette smoking and a reduced risk of pre-eclampsia has been consistent and reproducible across epidemiologic studies. High-risk pregnancies (those with pregestational diabetes, chronic hypertension, history of pre-eclampsia in a previous pregnancy, or multifetal gestation) showed no significant protective effect. The reason for this discrepancy is not definitively known; research supports speculation that the underlying pathology increases the risk of pre-eclampsia to such a degree that any measurable reduction of risk due to smoking is swamped.[36] A study into the effects of smoking on the incidence of pre-eclampsia in African-American women found a significantly lower incidence of pre-eclampsia with higher measured levels of nicotine. When adjusted for age, parity, and medical comorbidities the association was still observable, but no longer significant.[37] Medical authorities and anti-smoking advocates discourage smoking in general during pregnanc
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 00:40:55 +0000
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