Pre-eclampsia
What is pre-eclampsia"Pre-eclampsia is the most common pregnancy-related condition, severely affecting around 1 in 50 women," says Jacqui Jablaoui, director of Action on Pre-Eclampsia. "The placenta stops functioning properly and restricts oxygen to the foetus. Pre-eclampsia isn’t preventable and the warning signs are only visible after 20 weeks – raised blood pressure, protein in the urine and oedema in the face and hands. I don’t want to scare-monger but it kills around a dozen women and 500-600 babies a year – so it’s important for mums not to skip antenatals and they should always have their urine checked." Pre-eclampsia can be suspected if the foetus is growing more slowly than normal, though this is harder to detect. "It can turn into eclampsia"’ says Jacqui, "which is a life-threatening condition. Call your midwife immediately if you’re suffering from any of the signs of eclampsia, because you may need urgent hospital treatment." Signs of eclampsia include:
What causes it?Scientists don’t know what causes pre-eclampsia, but Professor Fiona Broughton Pipkin at the University of Nottingham is currently running a three-year genetic study involving 1,000 women, their babies, partners and parents to see what might trigger it. "We will be looking at women who appeared to be perfectly healthy and who had every reason to expect a normal pregnancy but were hit by this illness like a bolt from the blue," she says. "It’s possible that some women are predisposed to the illness and their diet or lifestyle could trigger something in a combination of genes leading to pre-eclampsia." Hormones, vitamins and mineralsA team working for Tommy’s campaign is also looking at the hormone Activin A; levels of this hormone are raised in the blood stream of women with pre-eclampsia and it may be the cause of some of the symptoms, such as the breakdown of the surface of the placenta and the inflammation in the blood stream. Pre-eclampsia may also change the way the mother’s blood vessels handle calcium and other ions, which could result in higher blood pressure. Tommy’s campaign has also funded a pilot trial to test if supplements of vitamins C and E can prevent pre-eclampsia; a study last year by Tommy's Campaign's Professor of Foetal Health, Lucilla Poston, showed more than a 50 per cent reduction in the incidence of pre-eclampsia in the women who had a higher than average risk of pre-eclampsia and who took the vitamins. Action on Pre-eclampsia (APEC) are in the third year of their ‘magpie’ trials. These clinical trials, run by Dr Andy Shernan, are investigating the role of magnesium sulphate in the treatment of eclampsia. What’s the cure?The only cure is delivery. Mums with pre-eclampsia are admitted to hospital for monitoring, both of themselves and their babies. "The important thing is monitoring, not bedrest," says Professor Chris Redman, medical director of APEC. "If the foetus is struggling to cope, it cuts down on movement and non-essential activity, and the only thing we can do is deliver the baby." This is generally, but not always by caesarean section. You’re more at risk of pre-eclampsia if:
Contact points APEC – helpline 020 8427 4217 (10am-1pm weekedays); website www.apec.org.uk Tommy’s Campaign – website www.tommys-campaign.org |
One of Tommy's
Campaign's main areas of research is pre-eclampsia - what causes it
and how it can be treated or prevented. 
