Postpartum eclampsia is a rare condition that can occur within 48 hours of delivery. It is common in women who have been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, but it can also appear in women who have characteristics that favor this disease, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and more than 40 and under 18 years.
Eclampsia, a condition in which a woman has high blood pressure and may have seizures, may develop into a coma and be fatal, may appear after 20 weeks of gestation, during delivery, or after delivery. A woman diagnosed with eclampsia at any time during pregnancy or after pregnancy should remain hospitalized until signs of improvement are noted.
In general, the treatment is carried out with medicines, mainly with the magnesium sulphate, that reduces the seizures and prevents the coma.
Main Symptoms of Postpartum Eclampsia
Postpartum eclampsia is usually the severe manifestation of preeclampsia. The main symptoms of postpartum eclampsia are:
- Fainting;
- Headache;
- Abdominal pain;
- Blurry vision;
- Convulsions;
- High blood pressure;
- Weight gain;
- Swelling of hands and feet;
- Presence of protein in the urine;
- Ringing in the ears;
- Vomiting.
Pre-eclampsia is a condition that may arise during pregnancy and is characterized by high blood pressure in pregnancy, greater than 140x90 mmHg, presence of protein in the urine and swelling due to fluid retention. If preeclampsia is not treated correctly, it can progress to the most serious condition, which is eclampsia. Learn more about pre-eclampsia.
How does eclampsia occur after childbirth?
The main factors favoring the onset of postpartum eclampsia are:
- Obesity;
- Diabetes;
- Hypertension;
- Poor diet or malnutrition;
- Pregnancy of twins;
- First gestation;
- Cases of eclampsia or pre-eclampsia in the family;
- Age greater than 40 years and less than 18 years;
- Chronic kidney disease;
- Autoimmune diseases such as lupus.
All these causes can be avoided, thus reducing the chances of developing postpartum eclampsia, with healthy lifestyle habits and adequate treatment.
How to treat postpartum eclampsia
Treatment for postpartum eclampsia is aimed at treating symptoms, so it is recommended to use magnesium sulfate, which controls seizures and prevents coma, antihypertensives, to lower blood pressure, and sometimes aspirin for pain relief, always with medical advice.
In addition, it is important to pay attention to diet, avoiding the maximum salt and fatty foods, so that the pressure does not increase again, one should drink plenty of water and be at rest according to the doctor's indication. See more about treatment of eclampsia.
Does postpartum eclampsia leave sequelae?
Usually, when eclampsia is identified immediately and treatment is started right away, there are no sequelae. But if the treatment is not appropriate, the woman may have repeated episodes of seizure, which can last for about one minute, permanent damage to vital organs such as liver, kidneys and brain, and can progress to coma, which can be fatal for women.
Postpartum eclampsia does not endanger the baby, only the mother. The baby is at risk when during pregnancy the woman is diagnosed with eclampsia or pre-eclampsia, with immediate delivery being the best form of treatment and prevention of more complications, such as HELLP syndrome, for example. In this syndrome there may be problems in the liver, kidney or water accumulation in the lung. Find out what it is, the main symptoms and how to treat HELLP syndrome.
