What is preeclampsia?<\/h4>\n
Preeclampsia<\/a>\u00a0is a common blood pressure disorder affecting\u00a02\u20138% of pregnancies<\/a>\u00a0worldwide. Preeclampsia is the cause of\u00a012% of maternal deaths<\/a>. The USPSTF reports one-third of severe obstetric complications and\u00a015% of preterm births<\/a>\u00a0in the United States arise from preeclampsia.<\/p>\n Preeclampsia is a leading cause of US maternal deaths, severe maternal morbidity, maternal intensive care admissions, cesarean section, and prematurity. Each year, preeclampsia and other pregnancy blood pressure disorders cause over\u00a070,000 maternal and 500,000 fetal deaths\u00a0<\/a>worldwide.<\/p>\n Preeclampsia is diagnosed when high blood pressure occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy in conjunction with other signs and symptoms. Symptoms include headache, right upper abdominal pain, or visual changes. Signs include swelling, weight gain, urine protein leakage, or fluid retention in the lungs. Lab work may show low platelets, poor kidney function, or an elevation in liver enzymes.<\/p>\n Preeclampsia\u00a0risk factors\u00a0<\/a>include:<\/p>\n seb_ra Istock by Getty<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The USPSTF<\/a> and ACOG<\/a> recommend the use of low-dose aspirin for women at risk of developing preeclampsia. Any pregnant woman with one or more of the above risk factors may benefit from this low-cost, low-risk intervention to reduce their pregnancy hypertension risk.<\/p>\n The current clinical trial data shows daily low-dose aspirin reduces the\u00a0risk of preeclampsia<\/a>\u00a0by 24%. The recommendation is to begin low-dose aspirin (81 mg\/day) between 12 weeks and 28 weeks of gestation and continue daily until delivery.<\/p>\n The studies also show aspirin use in pregnancy is safe with a low risk to mom and baby. A USPSTF\u00a0meta-analysis<\/a>\u00a0did not show aspirin increased the risk for bleeding complications such as placental abruption, postpartum hemorrhage, or fetal intracranial bleeding.<\/p>\n The underlying cause of\u00a0preeclampsia<\/a>\u00a0is unknown, but we know it is a complex multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Low-dose aspirin has anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenesis, and antiplatelet properties. These unique features may account for the beneficial effects on placenta development and placenta perfusion.<\/p>\n Scientists continue to study preeclampsia. Researchers are looking to understand the origins and triggers. Medical studies attempt to find reliable biomarkers and improve diagnostic tools.<\/p>\n In the meantime, we can reduce the risk of preeclampsia by encouraging the daily low-dose aspirin in women who have an increased risk for high blood pressure in pregnancy.<\/p>\n Thank you to <\/span><\/i>BeingWell<\/span><\/i><\/a> for publishing this article on Medium<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Article originally published on Medika Life<\/a><\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Blog Author: Dr. <\/span>Jeff Livingston\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Main Blog Photo By: Prostock-Studio Istock by Getty<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n
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<\/p>\nLow-dose aspirin reduces the risk of preeclampsia<\/h4>\n
An aspirin a day keeps preeclampsia away<\/h4>\n
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Thanks to\u00a0Robert Turner.<\/h4>\n
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