Who Gets Eclampsia?
Eclampsia is the severe end form of pre-eclampsia and is characterised by seizures in the mother, organ damage and possibly death of the mother and baby if not treated promptly. It only occurs in about 1 in 1500 pregnancies (ref 3). One study in England sited the incidence of eclampsia as being 1/2040. Eclampsia cannot always be predicted, in this study it was found that 38% of eclamptic episodes occurred in women with no documented history of high blood pressure or protein in their urine. Of the women who did suffer from eclampsia 40% occurred post-partum (after delivery), more than a third (38%) ante-partum (before birth), and the remainder (18%) intra-partum (during delivery). The ante-partum pre-eclampsia was found to be the most dangerous for mother and baby. (ref 15). Women who are at increased risk are first time pregnancies, teenage pregnancies or mothers older than 40 years, African-American women, multiple pregnancies, and women with a history of diabetes , hypertension, or r
