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Toxemia of pregnancy Blog
Related terms: Eclampsia, Preeclampsia, Pregnancy-induced hypertension
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High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy May Threaten Kids' Heart Health
Posted 4 days ago by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 24 – Preeclampsia, a dangerous spike in a woman's blood pressure during pregnancy, may predispose offspring to high blood pressure in childhood and young adulthood, a new study finds. From early in life, these children have distinct cardiovascular risk factors that may put them at risk for health problems later on, the British researchers said. "A pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia is an early warning sign that both the mother and offspring are going to be at greater risk of developing high blood pressure later in life," said lead researcher Dr. Paul Leeson, from the department of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Oxford in England. The findings suggest a need to monitor these children, the authors said. "There is likely to be value in considering a history of preeclampsia to understand better a person's risk of developing high blood pressure," Leeson said. ... Read more
Related support groups: Toxemia of pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications May Predict Heart Trouble Later
Posted 20 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 20 – Certain complications during pregnancy appear to raise the mother's risk of cardiovascular disease during middle age, a new study has found. Women with high blood pressure in pregnancy, known as preeclampsia, or pregnancy-related diabetes were more likely to have cardiovascular disease risk factors at around 50, the British researchers found. The risk was greater with preeclampsia. "For women, this study suggests that if they have experienced any of the pregnancy complications [evaluated], they may consider seeking advice regarding effective interventions and lifestyle changes in order to modify their CVD [cardiovascular disease] risk," said study leader Abigail Fraser, a research fellow at the University of Bristol School of Social and Community Medicine. For women not yet pregnant, maintaining a healthy weight before getting pregnant may help them avoid the ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Toxemia of pregnancy
Hypertension, Not Blood Pressure Drugs, Linked to Birth Defects
Posted 19 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19 – Although pregnant women who have high blood pressure face a higher risk that their baby will be born with birth defects, new research indicates that the medications typically used to treat the condition will not raise that risk any further. The finding suggests that the widely used class of high blood pressure medications known as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are safe to use during the first trimester. Published online Oct. 18 in the BMJ, the study results fill in a piece of the puzzle regarding the use of such medications, given that prior research had indicated that ACE inhibitors can be toxic to a fetus if used in the second and/or third trimester of pregnancy. "Our finding suggests that it is likely the underlying hypertension, rather than use of antihypertensive drugs in the first trimester, that increases the risk of birth defects in ... Read more
Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Lisinopril, Hypertension, Enalapril, Benazepril, Ramipril, Perindopril, Zestril, Vasotec, Altace, Quinapril, Accupril, Toxemia of pregnancy, Fosinopril, Lotensin
Hormonal Disorder Linked to Pregnancy Complications: Study
Posted 14 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Oct. 14 – A common hormonal disorder among women known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) seems to be associated with an increased risk for pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, diabetes and premature birth, a new study indicates. PCOS affects between 5 percent and 15 percent of women of reproductive age, according to background information in the study published in the Oct. 13 online edition of BMJ. Symptoms include irregular periods, ovulation problems, weight gain and excessive hair growth, and women with the disorder typically have small cysts on their ovaries. In the study, Swedish researchers compared just under 3,800 births among women with PCOS with nearly 1.2 million births among women without the condition, and found that women with PCOS were more likely to be obese and to use assisted reproductive technology. Women with PCOS were 45 percent more likely to ... Read more
Related support groups: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Premature Labor, Toxemia of pregnancy, Gestational Diabetes
Study Suggests Origins of Pregnancy-Linked High Blood Pressure
Posted 11 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Oct. 11 – Preeclampsia, a potentially dangerous spike in blood pressure during pregnancy, may be due to a microscopic battle going on within the placenta between cells directed by the father's genes and those directed by the mother, a new study suggests. Though not the first research to link preeclampsia with the activity of cells in the placenta, the new report adds more details about the underlying mechanism that may be causing the problem. During prenatal growth, certain genes are expressed or repressed, depending on their parental origin. In the placenta, the father's gene expression dominates. In a normal pregnancy, trophoblasts, a father-directed cell, invade and attack the blood vessels that bring blood from the mother into the placenta. The trophoblasts attach to the walls of blood vessels, increasing the flow of blood and enabling the baby to grow and receive the ... Read more
Related support groups: Toxemia of pregnancy
Poorly Controlled Asthma Can Boost Chances of Pregnancy Complications
Posted 11 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Aug. 11 – Pregnant women with poorly controlled asthma are at increased risk for pregnancy complications and for having a low-birth weight or premature baby, a new study warns. Researchers reviewed data from 1975 to 2009 on more than 1 million pregnant women. Pregnant women with poorly controlled asthma were 50 percent more likely to develop preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy) and 25 percent more likely to have a premature baby. Infants born to mothers with asthma weighed an average of 0.2 lbs. less at birth than those born to mothers without asthma. The study was published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "The findings are significant and call for women with asthma to be more closely monitored during pregnancy," study leader Dr. Christina Chambers, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Diego and program director of ... Read more
Related support groups: Asthma, Toxemia of pregnancy
Study Suggests Supplement May Protect Against Preeclampsia
Posted 20 May 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, May 20 – Though a new study suggests that a dietary supplement could lower the likelihood that high-risk pregnant women will develop preeclampsia, the jury is still out over whether it actually works and a specialist recommends that women not try it yet. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication that can boost blood pressure to abnormally high levels, causing hypertension. It affects about 5 percent of first pregnancies. "Women die of uncontrolled hypertension through stroke or multi-organ failure," said Dr. David Williams, an obstetrician and consultant in maternal medicine at University College London Hospitals, who co-wrote a commentary accompanying the study, which was published online May 19 in BMJ. "Comprehensive prenatal care and modern medical practice in developed countries makes maternal mortality from preeclampsia a rare event, but it accounts for 20 percent of ... Read more
Related support groups: Arginine, L-Arginine, Toxemia of pregnancy, R-Gene 10
Research Sheds Light on Gene Linked to Preeclampsia
Posted 17 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 17 – Pregnant women who develop a serious condition known as preeclampsia have an overabundance of a gene that helps regulate the body's immune system, researchers have found. The findings may lead to improved screening and prenatal care for these patients and their babies, said the North Carolina State University researchers. Preeclampsia is a sudden rise in blood pressure that can result in stroke, seizures or organ failure in the mother. The condition occurs in up to 10 percent of pregnancies and is responsible for about 15 percent of preterm births. Recent research has focused on preeclampsia as an autoimmune disorder, in which the mother's body regards the placenta as an invader. In this new study, the researchers compared genetic analyses of placentas from women with preeclampsia and from women with normal pregnancies. "When we looked at the preeclampsic placentas, ... Read more
Related support groups: Toxemia of pregnancy
Lead Exposure May Raise Blood Pressure in Pregnancy
Posted 10 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Feb. 8 – In pregnant women, even small amounts of lead in the blood may cause significantly higher blood pressure, new research suggests. The study of 285 pregnant women found that about one in four had a lead level higher than about 1 microgram per deciliter (1 mcg/dL) of umbilical cord blood. That's significantly lower than the safety thresholds set by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends taking action to reduce lead exposure when pregnant women or children have a blood lead level of 5 mcg/dL. Even so, women in the study with lead levels greater than 1 mcg/dL had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings than those with lower lead levels. The average increase was 6.9 mm Hg and 4.4 mm Hg, respectively. Though further research is needed, the findings suggest that pregnant women may be as sensitive to lead toxicity as young children, ... Read more
Related support groups: Toxemia of pregnancy, Lead Poisoning -- Mild, Lead Poisoning, Lead Poisoning -- Severe
Lack of Sleep During Pregnancy Ups Risk of High Blood Pressure
Posted 1 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Oct. 1 – A good night's sleep when you're pregnant may help keep your blood pressure levels normal, new research suggests. Pregnant women who got less than six hours of nightly sleep during early pregnancy had systolic blood pressure readings in their last trimester that were nearly 4 mm/Hg higher than women who slept nine hours nightly, the study found. And women who got less than five hours of sleep increased their odds of developing preeclampsia – a serious pregnancy complication related to high blood pressure – more than ninefold. On the other hand, getting too much sleep could also be a problem: women who reported sleeping more than 10 hours a night in their first trimester had more than a twofold increase in the risk of developing preeclampsia, according to the study published in the October issue of the journal Sleep. "Women, in general, need about seven to nine hours ... Read more
Related support groups: Toxemia of pregnancy
Test Might Spot Women at High Risk for Pregnancy Complication
Posted 13 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Sept. 13 – Women can be vulnerable to sudden, sometimes dangerous spikes in blood pressure during pregnancy, part of a condition called preeclampsia. And now scientists say they've developed a high-tech method to predict which women are most prone to preeclampsia in late pregnancy – long before symptoms arise. The approach relies on so-called "metabolic profiling" to track telltale metabolites found in blood plasma. The researchers say these changes could be key indicators for preeclampsia risk. In all, 14 such metabolite targets were identified for monitoring during the early stages of pregnancy, an international team of researchers reported in the October issue of Hypertension. While more study is needed, this panel of biomarkers can serve as an accurate guide to whether moms-to-be run a significant risk for developing the condition late in their pregnancy, the researchers ... Read more
Related support groups: Toxemia of pregnancy
Vitamins May Not Curb High Blood Pressure in Pregnant Diabetics
Posted 27 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
SATURDAY, June 26 – Taking vitamin C and E supplements will not lower the risk of the blood pressure disorder known as preeclampsia in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, a new study finds. Women with diabetes are at high risk for preeclampsia (a sudden increase in the mother's blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy), and prior research has suggested that because type 1 diabetes is associated with increased oxidative stress and lower levels of antioxidants in the body, taking antioxidant vitamins might help. The British study included 762 pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. They were randomly assigned to take 1000 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 international units (IU) vitamin E (379 women) or placebo (383 women) daily from between eight and 22 weeks of gestation and delivery. The rate of preeclampsia was 15 percent in the vitamins group and 19 percent in the placebo group. ... Read more
Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 1, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Toxemia of pregnancy, Ascorbic Acid, Protexin, Cecon, C/Rose Hips, Aquasol E, Alpha E, Sunkist Vitamin C, Ester-C, Betac, N Ice with Vitamin C, Amino-Opti-E
Vitamins C, E Won't Cut Risk of Pregnancy-Linked Hypertension
Posted 8 Apr 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 7 – Mothers-to-be who take vitamin C and E supplements do not reduce their risk of the dangerous high blood pressure condition called preeclampsia, a new study finds. Although other studies have suggested that these antioxidant vitamins could prevent preeclampsia, this trial of more than 10,000 women found there was no sign "that the drugs did anything to prevent the diagnosis of preeclampsia," lead researcher Dr. James M. Roberts, from the departments of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh, said during an afternoon news conference Tuesday. "That was the disappointing news," he added. "On the other hand, there was no evidence of problems associated with it [the vitamins] that might have been suspected from earlier trials, except for the interesting finding" that women who took the vitamins experienced spikes in blood pressure slightly more often ... Read more
Related support groups: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Toxemia of pregnancy, Ascorbic Acid, Protexin, Cecon, C/Rose Hips, Aquasol E, Alpha E, Sunkist Vitamin C, Ester-C, Betac, N Ice with Vitamin C, Amino-Opti-E, Centrum Singles-Vitamin C