Definition
In a pregnant woman, one speaks of preeclampsia or gestosis when edema and proteinuria are associated with gestational hypertension; in the medical field, the symptomatic triad is called more precisely trisymptomatic gestosis. Preeclampsia usually occurs after the 20th week of gestation.
Causes
The causal element triggering preeclampsia is not known; however, a set of factors could cause the syndrome: unbalanced nutrition, autoimmune disorders, genetic predisposition, pathologies affecting blood vessels.
- Risk factors: over 35 years of age, multiple pregnancies, first pregnancy, obesity, history of diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome.
Symptoms
Often, pregnant women with preeclampsia do not complain of any specific symptoms; the prodromes that accompany the disorder are often vague and blurred: sudden increase in weight in a few days, temporary blindness, edema (swollen hands and feet), irritability, headache, right side pain, nausea, proteinuria, vomiting.
Information on Preeclampsia - Drugs for the Management of Gestosis is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Preeclampsia - Drugs for the Management of Gestosis.
drugs
The treatment for preeclampsia is not as simple as that adopted for gestational hypertension; preeclampsia, in fact, in addition to treatment with targeted drugs, often involves hospitalization and constant control of the pregnant woman. In these cases, it is often necessary to anticipate the birth, in order to avoid possible complications for the unborn child.
The most indicated drug to treat preeclampsia is magnesium sulfate, also used in the prophylaxis of the syndrome in women predisposed or suffering from gestational hypertension.
In most cases, treatment with magnesium sulfate is supported by drugs with hypotensive action.
- Magnesium sulfate (eg. Magne So BIN, Magne So GSE): it is an anticonvulsant drug useful for preventing recurrent eclamptic seizures. The loading dose for the treatment of preeclampsia involves taking 1 mg (10 ml) of active IV bolus slow in 3 minutes; then, take 3g (30 ml) in physiological solution. Subsequently, take 70 mg over a period of 15 minutes. the maintenance dose consists in the intake of 1 gram of drug (10 ml per hour), up to 24-48 hours after delivery.
- Labetalol (eg. Trandate, Ipolab): the drug (belonging to the beta blocker class) is indicated for lowering blood pressure in the context of severe preeclampsia and eclamptic attacks. It is recommended to administer the drug with an attack dose of 20 mg, in a slow intravenous bolus; after 20 minutes, administer a second 40 mg dose and, after another 20 minutes, another 80 mg dose. Any subsequent administrations can be carried out at a distance of 20 minutes from each other; the total daily dose should not exceed 220 mg. The maintenance dose involves taking 5 ampoules of 100 mg of active, diluted in 400 mg of physiological solution.
- Steroids: in some cases, it is possible to administer corticosteroids, which are useful for improving the function of the mother's liver and platelets; furthermore, it appears that the administration of corticosteroids in women suffering from preeclampsia is useful for prolonging pregnancy and promoting the development of the child's lungs.
- Acetylsalicylic acid (eg. Aspirin, Vivin, Ac Acet, Carin, Cardioaspirin): some scholars believe that the administration of this drug can improve the clinical picture of the patient suffering from preeclampsia: at the dose of 60-150 mg per day, the drug, ideally, it could inhibit platelet aggregation and promote vasodilation. However, insufficient data is available to confirm the validity of this drug in the treatment of pre-eclampsia.
In general, the best way to treat preeclampsia is to give birth to the baby, a strategy that is not always possible, of course, since the child may not even have completed his development.
