Eclampsia is an attack on pregnant women who experience preeclampsia, in the form of seizures or coma. This very rare condition is experienced by at least 5% of pregnant women who experience preeclampsia. A person can experience eclampsia even when he has never had a history of seizures.
About 10 percent of pregnant women around the world experience hypertension or high blood pressure. Preeclampsia and eclampsia tend to occur in pregnant women with hypertension. Preeclampsia itself is a complication of pregnancy due to high blood pressure or anything else.
However, eclampsia does not occur in the majority of pregnant women who experience preeclampsia. Only a small percentage experience it without being able to be predicted with certainty. Although the cause can not be known with certainty, but there are several factors that can play a role in causing eclampsia, including: disorders of blood vessels, diet or nutritional intake, genes, nervous system and brain (neurological), disorders of the immune system, hormonal factors, heart disorders, and infections. In contrast to epilepsy, seizures in eclampsia are not directly related to disorders in the brain even though nerve abnormalities in the brain can be a factor that plays a role in the emergence of this disorder.
Who Is More at Risk
From existing cases, it was found that women with preeclampsia are at high risk for seizures if they experience certain conditions. In addition to experiencing severe preeclampsia, women who experience the following conditions are more at risk of developing eclampsia.
- Headache.
- Hypertension.
- When pregnant more than 35 years old or less than 20 years.
- First Pregnancy.
- Twin Pregnant.
- Have a history of malnutrition.
- Have kidney disorders.
- Have diabetes.
- Stomach ache.
- Abnormal blood test results.
- Vision loss.
- Excess weight.
- Difficulty urinating.
In addition, obesity, blood clotting disorders, and lupus are also thought to be risk factors for eclampsia. The main characteristic of eclampsia is hypertension and high levels of protein in urine after 20 weeks' gestation. High blood pressure in preeclampsia will cause damage to blood vessels that disrupt blood flow. This condition results in the swelling of blood vessels which ultimately disrupt the work of the brain, thus triggering seizures. While proteinuria or the presence of protein in the urine will occur because preeclampsia affects kidney function. However, there are cases where eclampsia occurs without hypertension or protein in the urine.
Detect Symptoms and Treat Eclampsia
Symptoms of eclampsia generally begin with symptoms of preeclampsia such as abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, headaches, visual disturbances such as blurred vision, muscle aches, and swelling of the hands and face. In other words, eclampsia is preeclampsia which has worsened and affected the brain causing seizures. The symptoms of eclampsia itself are convulsions, fainting, and severe anxiety. If there are any of these symptoms during pregnancy, you need to immediately see a doctor to get a proper examination and treatment.
Eclampsia is a medical emergency in pregnant women. If not treated early, pregnant women with preeclampsia, or worse who already have eclampsia, are at risk of complications in the form of: permanent brain nerve damage, brain hemorrhage, kidney and liver damage, or the most fatal is death. About 13 percent of maternal mortality rates worldwide are thought to be caused by eclampsia.
Seizures in eclampsia generally occur for 60-75 seconds, and can be divided into two phases. The first phase lasts about 15-20 seconds, and the second phase 60 seconds. While the coma phase does not have a definite duration. After the attack, the patient will wake up without remembering having experienced a seizure. Head trauma, tongue biting and broken bones are complications that may occur during seizures. During the seizure, brain activity will be disrupted, causing gaze fixed, body shaken, and decreased level of consciousness.
In addition to physical examination, checking blood pressure and respiratory rate regularly as an initial step in handling eclampsia, the doctor will also do a urine check to see if there is protein in the urine. A creatinine test is also needed to detect creatinine levels in the blood. Creatinine is a metabolic waste or waste substance produced by muscles. High creatinine can indicate kidney problems. This condition can also occur in preeclampsia, but high creatinine on blood tests does not always indicate that a pregnant woman must have preeclampsia. It is also important to check yourself to detect the possibility that these symptoms are not caused by preeclampsia, but can be caused by other conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease. Therefore, routine pregnancy checks and control to the doctor or midwife during pregnancy is an important step to get an evaluation of the health conditions for pregnant women. Antenatal examination or pregnancy control also plays an important role in early diagnosis of the possibility of preeclampsia so that the health of the mother and the fetus in the womb can be maintained.
The definitive treatment for dealing with preeclampsia is labor. Therefore, pregnant women with preeclampsia will be closely monitored just before delivery to determine the right steps in labor. This condition will generally disappear soon after the baby is born. However, if complications occur, the doctor may perform a rupture of the placenta and a Caesarean to save the baby. Getting the baby out as soon as possible is the best step so that severe preeclampsia does not become eclampsia. However, babies born prematurely are certainly more susceptible to complications.
The best way to prevent eclampsia is to treat preeclampsia appropriately. Among other things by checking the health of pregnancy to the doctor so that blood pressure and protein levels in the urine are monitored. Doctors can also provide anti-seizure medications and drugs to treat hypertension. Also, during pregnancy, make sure you consume enough calcium in your daily menu. In pregnant women with a high risk of experiencing preeclampsia, it is important to do early treatment to prevent preeclampsia from becoming eclampsia. Your doctor may give low-dose aspirin to pregnant women with preeclampsia at around 12 to 16 weeks' gestation. Giving low-dose aspirin to high-risk pregnant women is also useful to reduce the risk of premature birth and infant death.
Given that eclampsia is a fatal condition that can threaten the lives of mothers and fetuses, pregnant women, especially with preeclampsia, need to have their pregnancy condition checked regularly so that the pregnancy can proceed well.
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