Endomyocardial ultrastructural findings in preeclampsia
Article Abstract:
Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure (hypertension); headache; albumin (a blood protein) in the urine; and the accumulation of body fluids in the legs and feet. The cause of preeclampsia is not known, but patients with preeclampsia have been shown to have specific changes in the physical features of certain tissues. The physical features of the muscle tissue of the left ventricle of the heart in a patient with severe preeclampsia are described. A case is presented of a 31-year-old women who was assessed for progressive shortness of breath at almost 36 weeks of pregnancy. She was diagnosed initially with pulmonary edema, collection of fluid in the lungs. The patient was treated with various drugs and procedures to improve breathing, maintain normal blood pressure, and to promote diuresis (elimination of body fluids). After diuresis, it became more apparent that the patient had preeclampsia, and she was treated with magnesium sulfate. A healthy infant was delivered by cesarean section. The patient was continued on treatment with drugs to lower blood pressure. A biopsy (tissue sample) was obtained from the muscle layer of the left ventricle. Biopsy examination revealed hypertrophy (enlargement) of the heart muscle fibers; formation of fiber-like tissue between the cells; widespread and extensive deterioration of the heart muscle; and abnormalities of blood vessels and mitochondria (intracellular structures that are involved in the production of energy). Further studies are needed to determine if blood vessel abnormalities occur in other tissues in patients with preeclampsia. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0002-9378
Year: 1991
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The use of nifedipine during the postpartum period in patients with severe preeclampsia
Article Abstract:
Severe preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy marked by high blood pressure, swelling and protein in the urine. Treatment is aimed at lowering the blood pressure, maintaining fluid balance and increasing the flow of blood through the kidneys to improve urine production. Nifedipine is a blood pressure-lowering agent that also helps to improve the flow of blood through the kidneys. It has been shown to cause significant blood pressure drops and poor blood flow through the placenta when given during pregnancy. The effects of nifedipine by preeclamptic patients after delivery was studied in 31 patients. The total urine output of the 16 patients receiving nifedipine was 3,834 milliliters in 24 hours, compared with 2,057 in the 15 patients not receiving the agent. Although blood pressure was significantly reduced in the patients receiving nifedipine, no signs of very low blood pressure, such as dizziness or reduced heart rate, were reported. Nifedipine is effective in reducing high blood pressure and increasing the blood flow through the kidneys when given to preeclamptic patients during the first 24-hour period after delivery. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0002-9378
Year: 1990
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Does advanced maternal age affect pregnancy outcome in women with mild hypertension remote from term?
Article Abstract:
The babies of older women with mild hypertension early in pregnancy do not appear to be at greater risk compared with the babies of mildly hypertensive younger women. Researchers compared outcomes between 379 mildly hypertensive pregnant women aged 35 or more with 379 similar women aged 20 to 30. Similar numbers of women experienced serious complications. Average length of pregnancy, birth weights, percentages of underweight babies, and percentages admitted to newborn intensive care were similar. There were five stillbirths in the mature group versus none in the younger group, but this may be due to chance.
Publication Name: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0002-9378
Year: 1997
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