Context: May 22 is commemorated as Pre-eclampsia Day to prioritize proactive measures for safe motherhood and childbirth, as preeclampsia significantly raises the risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular mortality for mothers.
About pre-eclampsia:
- It is a serious pregnancy complication that typically develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women with previously normal blood pressure. It can also develop shortly after childbirth.
- It is characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to other organ systems, most often the kidneys.
Symptoms:
- High blood pressure, protein in the urine (proteinuria), severe headache, nausea or vomiting, vision problems (including light sensitivity, blurred vision, or seeing spots), upper right abdominal pain and rapid weight gain,.
Causes:
- The exact cause is unknown.
Risk factors:
- History of high blood pressure, a family history of pre-eclampsia, multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, etc.), diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Complications:
- If left untreated, it can lead to serious complications for both mother and baby. For the mother, complications can include eclampsia (seizures), stroke, bleeding problems, kidney failure, and heart attack. For the baby, complications can include premature birth, low birth weight, and growth problems.
Prevention
- The prevention is the use of low-dose aspirin.
Related
Practice Question:
Q. With reference to Pre-eclampsia, consider the following statements:
- It is a pregnancy complication characterized by low blood pressure.
- It develops only after childbirth.
- Symptoms can include severe headache, vision problems, and upper right abdominal pain.
How many of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (a)
Statement 1 & 2 are incorrect: Pre-eclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication that typically develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women with previously normal blood pressure. It can also develop shortly after childbirth. It is characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to other organ systems, most often the kidneys.
Statement 3 is correct: Symptoms are high blood pressure, protein in the urine (proteinuria), severe headache, nausea or vomiting, vision problems (including light sensitivity, blurred vision, or seeing spots), upper right abdominal pain and rapid weight gain.
PYQ: (2021)
Q. In the context of hereditary diseases, consider the following statements:
1. Passing on mitochondrial diseases from parent to child can be prevented by mitochondrial
replacement therapy either before or after in vitro fertilization of egg.
2. A child inherits mitochondrial diseases entirely from mother and not from father.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c)
