Genetic Disorders: Preeclampsia

eclampsia in a pregnant woman can put her and her unborn child at risk. A risk

Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystem disorder complicating 5-7% of all pregnancies that manifests abruptly with a variety of maternal clinical symptoms (e.g. hypertension) and remains a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The traditional definition of preeclampsia according to the ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) criteria refers to the onset of high blood pressure (140/90 or higher) after 20 weeks of gestation in a previously normotensive woman 62, 63. The most severe cases are characterized by a variety of other clinical disturbances including proteinurea (≥0.3 gr/day), edema, neurologic involvement, epigastric pain, impaired liver function, thrombocytopenia 62 and are often associated

A variation of the protein called sFlt-1 can soon enter the mother’s bloodstream and it could cause damage to the mother’s blood vessels and eventually leads to high blood pressure of the mother. But the faulty gene cannot be the only cause preeclampsia, but it does increase the risk of the disorder by 20%. There are several other risk factors that have a much stronger chance of causing preeclampsia, including having high blood pressure before the pregnancy, a previous history of preeclampsia, or carrying twins. Anath Karumuchi, a vascular biologist who also researchers the cause of preeclampsia, but was not involved in this study, says the genetic results aren’t so strong to say the gene is always the cause of

High blood pressure among pregnant women is a common occurrence, especially during the second and third trimester. Hypertension is a result of high blood pressure and can cause increased cardiac output and blood volume. In pregnant women, this is called pregnancy-induced hypertension. Hypertension along with proteinuria, protein excretion in urine, is known as pre-eclampsia. If left untreated, pre-eclampsia can lead to eclampsia. Fetal and maternal mortality, cerebral palsy, and morbidity risks increase with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, due to lack of blood flow. Pregnant women’s serum levels of minerals have been shown to decrease during pregnancy, most likely due to the increased nutritional needs due to the growing fetus. Pregnant women with pre-eclampsia have been shown to have slightly lower levels of magnesium when compared to healthy pregnant women. This suggests the deficiency of magnesium could be related to the pre-eclampsia.1-4 The effect of magnesium in pregnant women has been a strong topic to study. In fact, some studies have used magnesium as a form of treatment for pre-eclampsia. Magnesium has been shown to provide mild vasodilation in pregnant women, which improves circulation for mother and baby.4-7 Although studies have shown to use magnesium as a treatment, there have been few on using magnesium as a preventative measure for high blood pressure in pregnant women.

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a method used to screen for genetic abnormalities and genetic defects in embryos, that were created through invitro fertilization (IVF). “IVF is the process of fertilization by extracting eggs, retrieving a sperm sample, and then manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish”. By using PGD, families with a risk of having a child with a serious genetic disorder can screen the embryo prior to implantation, to identify if the child presents genetic defects that can cause certain diseases or disorders. These genetic diseases or disorders occur due to one of more parents carrying the genetic abnormality. Screening can include counting chromosomes and/or a examination of molecules for a specific mutation or aneuploidy. PGD is a socio-scientific issue, due to the decision on whether to terminate the embryo if

Preeclampsia is defined by hypertension and proteinuria during pregnancy. It tends to occur after 20 weeks in gestation.

Preeclampsia is one of the most common hypertensive disorders that occur during pregnancy. According to Ricci (2013), “Preeclampsia can be described as a multisystem, vasopressive disorder that targets the cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, and central nervous systems.” This disease can be either mild or severe, and it can also progress to eclampsia if not treated properly. According to Arun

The mother could have preeclampsia and may even die while giving birth. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, usually the kidneys. Preeclampsia usually begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy in a woman whose blood pressure had been normal. Even the slightest rise in her blood pressure may be a sign of preeclampsia. (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/preeclampsia/basics/definition/con-20031644) Symptoms of preeclampsia include excess protein in the urine, severe headaches, blurred vision, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, or shortness of breath. Sudden weight gain and swelling more than a normal pregnancy, typically in the hands and face, often accompanies preeclampsia. (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/preeclampsia/basics/symptoms/con-20031644) Preeclampsia may be hereditary, but it is not said in stone whether it is or not due to both limited testing and research on the disorder. (http://healthresearchfunding.org/preeclampsia-hereditary/) Her baby may have breathing problems, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, problems with sight, hearing problems, and feeding difficulties.

Preeclampsia is the new onset of hypertension and either proteinuria or end-organ dysfunction after 20 weeks of gestation in a previously normotensive woman. Although most women develop signs of the preeclampsia in late pregnancy with gradual worsening until delivery, a few studies have reported delayed or new-onset postpartum preeclampsia in patients with no antecedent diagnosis of hypertensive disease in the current pregnancy (). Postpartum preeclampsia is defined as the presence of hypertension and proteinuria, occurring up to 4-6 weeks after delivery (yancey, filetti). While the pathophysiology of preeclampsia involves abnormal placental vasculature and altered maternal systemic endothelial function (gilbert, beckmann), postpartum preeclampsia

This indicating increased intensity of proteinuria with the severity of disease (Table 3). Prediction of preeclampsia was done on the basis of serum LCN2 using calculation of ROC curve and area under ROC curve. Sensitivity and specificity of serum Lipocalin2 using a cut off value of 480 pg/ml, for the diagnosis of preeclampsia was found to be 100% and 100% respectively, using 95% confidence interval. The positive predictive value was 100%, negative predictive value was 100%, area under curve (AUC) was 1.0 and accuracy index was 100 % (Tables 4, 5 and Fig.

Eclampsia is considered as a complication of sever preeclampsia (Ross, "Eclampsia"). It is defined as the new onset of a grand mal seizure or an unexplained coma (Ross, "Eclampsia"). This like preeclampsia commonly occurs after the 20th week of the gestation and continue after the baby has been delivered and the placenta as well. (Ross, "Eclampsia"). The patient does

All of these problems seem to be caused by the placenta not properly forming the normal network of blood vessels deep inside the uterus. Which leads to poor blood flow to the placenta. The placenta is what

Preeclampsia is a disease usually seen in the final trimester of pregnancy that not only affects the mother but the baby as well. This disease is characterized by high blood pressure, swelling and protein in the mother’s urine. There are many risks associated with preeclampsia for the mother such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems later in life. There are also risks for the fetus such as growth restriction, placental abruptions, hypoxia, and still birth. Exercise has been shown to decrease some of the effects of preeclampsia and help improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure, reduce oxidative stress, and decrease proinflammatory cytokines in peripheral circulation.

The main feature of preeclampsia in the placenta is poor uteroplacental perfusion due to defective remodelling of the spiral arteries as described under the section on pathophysiology and complication. The poor perfusion results in reduced amniotic fluid volume (oligohydramnios), intrauterine growth restriction, foetal distress, abruption placentae (Hall, 2009) which all increase the risk of foetal demise.

The risk factors of gestational hypertension developed into preeclampsia are having past history of preeclampsia, first pregnancy, a family history of preeclampsia and some preexisting medical conditions1. Preexisting medical conditions like diabetes that related to renal or vascular disease which lead to high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease (CKD) which causes low glomerular filtration rate and subsequently lead to hypertension may develop preeclampsia. Moreover, pregnant women with twin pregnancies and maternal age may also contribute to preeclampsia3.