Preeclampsia and eclampsia

For a lay person:

Preeclampsia is a condition of pregnancy, usually after 20 weeks, in which blood pressure rises and organs such as the kidneys and liver can be affected. Eclampsia is when it leads to seizures. Both are dangerous for the mother and baby.

For a trained medical person:

A placental disorder with systemic endothelial dysfunction causing new-onset hypertension with proteinuria or end-organ involvement, including HELLP syndrome; eclampsia is the onset of seizures. Diagnosis is by blood pressure, urine protein, blood tests for platelets, liver and renal function, and fetal assessment. Management is antihypertensives, magnesium sulfate for seizure prophylaxis or treatment, and timed delivery, which is the definitive treatment; low-dose aspirin is used for prevention in high-risk women.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency; Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency with Hyperactive Liver Yang Synd rome; Spleen Deficiency with Excess Liver. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: This is an emergency: get immediate medical care for a severe headache, vision changes, upper abdominal pain, sudden swelling or a seizure in pregnancy or shortly after birth. It needs obstetric care; do not use herbs in place of treatment, and Chinese medicine is adjunctive at most.