St Louis Medical Malpractice Attorney

Birth Injuries | Eclampsia

Eclampsia is the condition that will occur if preeclampsia is left untreated. Normally occurring at the end of your pregnancy, 1 in 2000 or 3000 women will develop eclampsia.

Symptoms of Eclampsia

Eclampsia includes all the symptoms of preeclampsia:

• High blood pressure or hypertension
• Protein in your urine
• Severe headaches
• Blurred vision or sensitivity to light
• Abdominal pain, normally under the right rib
• Dizziness
• Decrease in urine output or inability to urinate
• Blood in the urine
• Nausea or vomiting
• Weight gain because of the increase in bodily fluid

In addition to the above symptoms, mothers with eclampsia can experience seizures, coma, and even death of both the mother and the baby.

Causes for eclampsia

No one knows what causes eclampsia. However, according to a 2006 study of pregnant women conducted by the Mayo Clinic, pregnant women with elevated levels of two specific proteins in their blood were more likely to develop preeclampsia than other women. These proteins were found to interfere with the growth and function of blood vessels, which supports the theory that preeclampsia is caused by abnormalities in the blood vessels leading to the placenta. While the medical community is far from having an answer, it is hopeful that one day a blood test is available to screen for preeclampsia. Since eclampsia is the end result of untreated preeclampsia, the same blood test should aid in the prevention and intervention of preeclampsia, thus avoiding the situation for deteriorating into eclampsia.

Risk factors of eclampsia

Eclampsia is a condition that only affects pregnant women. Risk factors for this condition include:

• Pregnant for the first time
• You are 35 years of age or older
• You are obese
• You are carrying twins or multiples
• You have gestational diabetes
• You have a history of chronic high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or lupus
• You have a family history of preeclampsia

Treating eclampsia

There is no cure or treatment for eclampsia other than the delivery of your baby. However, if your baby is not close to term and delivering your baby is not an option, you will be given treatments to allow your baby to come closer to term. It is important to remember that statistics show 87% of all cases where the pregnancy was prolonged in attempt to allow the baby to fully develop resulted in infant death and the mother being placed in grave danger.

Because of the severity of this situation, if your eclampsia puts you in mortal danger, it is recommended that labor be induced, even if it means your baby may not survive.

Some of the treatments you may be given:

• Magnesium to prevent eclampsia-related seizures
• An anti-hypertensive medication like hydralazine to manage high blood pressure
• Monitoring fluid intake

Complications of eclampsia

With eclampsia, there is a high risk of premature delivery, and the risks associated with that for the baby. Some of the risks of premature births include learning disabilities, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, plus vision and hearing problems. Also, placenta abruption or the separation of the placenta from the uterus has been known to occur. Since eclampsia affects the arteries leading to the placenta, it can prevent the placenta from receiving an adequate amount of blood and nutrients. This can cause your baby to be smaller than normal.

Millikan Wright LLC has experience in complex medical malpractice cases. Our results demonstrate our committment to helping families recover and heal from an injury or wrongful death. We work only on a contingency fee basis, which means no cost to you until we secure a financial settlement. If we do not win the case, we absorb the entire cost. To arrange a no-cost consultation and learn how you may be entitled to compensation, contact us online or call our personal injury lawyers at 877.621.0622 (314.621.0622 in St. Louis).

The Missouri Injury Attorneys of Millikan Wright LLC focus serving the needs of the greater St. Louis Metropolitan area. On the Missouri side, our lawyers represent people injured in St. Louis city, St. Louis county, Jefferson county, Franklin county, St. Charles county, and Lincoln county. On the Illinois side, our attorneys represent people hurt in Madison county, St. Clair county and Monroe county.