Toxaemias of Pregnancy

Pre-eclampsia is by far the commonest manifestation of toxaemias of pregnancy. Its earliest sign are high blood pressure and puffiness of the eyes, gain in weight and swelling of the ankles. The swelling also known as oedema which may initially be found in the legs may spread to other parts of the body also. Examination of the urine will show the presence of albumin, a protein substance in the urine. Such woman may complain of malaise, headache, visual disturbance, vomiting etc. In case of pregnant women it occurs in the second half of pregnancy period and so it is better to check during antenatal check up. The management of this disorder is to reduce the intake of salt, total bed rest, using of diuretic to get rid of the water logging and to bring down the blood pressure. If you are overweight at the outset of pregnancy, you must reduce it. Also do not let anemia develop and also see that your blood pressure is within normal range. Eclampsia includes all the manifestations of pre-eclampsia but in addition there are convulsions and coma also. It may occur during pregnancy, labour or after childbirth. This disease could prove fatal and so hospitalisation is a must.