Progress Vs. Serious Pregnancy Ailment

Test Seen Possible For Preeclampsia, Precursor Of Deadly Condition

(CBS)  Senay observes that doctors can have difficulty diagnosing preeclampsia because it can mimic other conditions. For instance, if a woman who is 26 weeks pregnant is brought into an emergency room and is having seizures, doctors don't know if she has eclampsia, the most serious form of this condition, or if she has epilepsy. If it's epilepsy, they wouldn't do anything but wait for the seizures to subside and, when she wakes up, ask if she has epilepsy. If she has eclampsia at 26 weeks, the baby would have to be delivered for the sake of the mother's health, and it's unlikely that the baby would survive.

Women at risk of getting preeclampsia include those who are obese, have insulin-dependent diabetes before pregnancy, have high blood pressure before pregnancy, are carrying two or more fetuses, or who have had preeclampsia before.

Last month, Senay added, some good news came from a study that looked at whether taking a multivitamin supplement before conception could reduce the risk of the mother developing preeclampsia. The research showed that women who are not overweight before pregnancy and who used multivitamins at least once a week before conception and in the first three months of pregnancy reduced their risk of preeclampsia by 72 percent in comparison to those who didn't take a multivitamin during this period.

Senay concluded on a very encouraging note. She said we may see a cure or treatment for preeclampsia in a few years: Researchers have been able to reverse the condition in rats.

For more on preeclampsia, log on to the Web site of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development by clicking here and visit the Web site of the Preeclampsia Foundation by cllcking here.