Question

________ is a condition characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine of a pregnant woman.

. Preeclampsia

b. Malignant renal hypertension syndrome

c. Gestational diabetes

d. Teratogenic hypertension

e. Pregnancy-induced blood pressure crisis

Answer 1

Pre-eclampsia (option-a) is a condition characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine (proteinuria) of a pregnant woman.

Pre-eclampsia is defined as a multi-system disorder of unknown etiology, with a blood pressure more than 140/90 mm Hg, and associated proteinuria after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The imminent symptoms of pre-eclampsia include fatigue, epigastric pain, oliguria, headache, blurring of vision.

If untreated in early conditions, may complicates into Eclampsia (associated with grand-mal seizures) or HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count).

Preeclampsia makes the pregnancy, a high risk case and needs to be attached carefully during delivery as it may leads to maternal death frequently.

Malignant renal hypertension syndrome in pregnancy is associated with renal failure and thus hypertension due to renal pathology.

Gestational diabetes refers to elevated blood sugar levels induced by pregnancy and generally the foetus delivered is called big baby due to high birth weight.

Teratogenic hypertension in pregnancy is caused by some teratogenic drugs. As most of the anti-hypertensives are non-teratogenic except ACE inhibitors which are discontinued during pregnancy to prevent the incidence of fetotoxicity.

Pregnancy-induced blood presssure crisis means the pregnancy may be complicated by hypertensive crisis with lower blood pressure threshold for end organ damage.They may be associated with hypertensive emergency and urgency and without any proteinuria.