Tori Bowie was a world champion sprinter and three-time Olympic medalist. The 32-year-old was also about to be a mother and died recently due to complications during childbirth. Officials have cited respiratory distress and eclampsia as potential complications.
If “eclampsia” sounds familiar, that’s because you might be thinking about “preeclampsia,” which is what precipitates eclampsia. These conditions are possibly deadly for mother and baby in extreme cases.
Preeclampsia refers to “a sudden spike in blood pressure,” according to the National Institutes of Health. Eclampsia, the more severe version, may lead to seizures or put someone in a coma. Preeclampsia usually starts after 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Millennials and Gen Z in particular should be paying attention: These generations, according to a recent study, are more than twice as likely to develop hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia compared to people born in the 1950s.
Here’s what else you need to know about these disorders and what treatments are available.
What causes preeclampsia?
No one knows for sure. But “several factors, such as insufficient blood flow to the placenta, could contribute to the development and progression,” according to the NIH. It’s estimated that about 3.4% or pregnancies in the U.S. are subject to preeclampsia, though no exact figures exist.
What are preeclampsia, eclampsia symptoms?
Besides high blood pressure, other preeclampsia symptoms include too much protein in urine, face, feet and hand swelling, headache, right upper quadrant abdominal pain and blurred vision. Some of these symptoms can occur in pregnancy without the presence of preeclampsia, but it’s still important to report any of these signs to your doctor.
Eclampsia could, as mentioned, lead to seizures, but also mean temporary blindness, severe headache, nausea and vomiting.
How does preeclampsia affect the baby? The mother?
High blood pressure in pregnancy means the fetus will have limited blood supply. This could mean the fetus receives less oxygen and not as many nutrients, according to the NIH.
Mothers are also at higher risk for organ damage or organ failure, miscarriage, preterm birth and stroke. If they develop eclampsia, there’s a risk of coma or death.
More details here:US Olympian Tori Bowie died from complications of childbirth, autopsy finds
How to prevent preeclampsia
First off, familiarize yourself with risk factors. People are more likely to develop preeclampsia if they previously had it in another pregnancy; had type 1 or type 2 diabetes before they got pregnant; have kidney disease; or have an autoimmune disorder. In vitro fertilization also is linked to a higher risk. Moderate risks include obesity, a family history of preeclampsia and a first-time pregnancy, among other factors.
Studies point to Black women and indigenous women having a higher risk; research suggests this has more to do with health care access and social inequities as opposed to biology.
Women at a higher risk should take low-dose aspirin after the first trimester, per a recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Delivering the baby can stave off preeclampsia and eclampsia but symptoms could last past delivery. If the baby is not yet full term, a doctor may admit the pregnant patient to the hospital and give magnesium sulfate to stop a seizure before it starts.
Interesting:Pregnant and over 40? You aren’t alone. More women are becoming later-in-life moms.
