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You are here : Healthopedia.com > Medical Encyclopedia > Diseases and Conditions > Eclampsia: Symptoms & Signs
      Category : Health Centers > Pregnancy and Childbirth

Eclampsia

Alternate Names : Toxemia with Seizures

Eclampsia | Symptoms & Signs | Diagnosis & Tests | Prevention & Expectations | Treatment & Monitoring | Attribution


What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?

The symptoms of preeclampsia may include:

  • agitation and confusion
  • changes in mental status
  • decreased urine output
  • headaches
  • nausea and vomiting
  • pain in the right upper part of the abdomen
  • shortness of breath
  • sudden weight gain over 1 to 2 days
  • swelling of the face or hands
  • visual impairment
  • weight gain of more than 2 pounds per week
  • Women who have these symptoms are at high risk for eclampsia. Usually there are no clues or warning signs before a seizure. A woman with eclampsia may have one or many seizures. The seizures cause muscle spasms, loss of consciousness, and short-term memory problems. Afterward, the woman may breathe very rapidly to make up for the lack of oxygen during the seizure itself. A fever at this point is a sign of serious trouble.

    During or after a seizure, a woman may:

  • bite her tongue
  • break bones
  • breathe fluids into her lungs
  • develop fluid and swelling in her lungs that make it hard to breathe
  • experience a detached retina in the eye
  • harm her head

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    Eclampsia: Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

     

    Eclampsia: Diagnosis & Tests

    Author: Eva Martin, MD
    Reviewer: Eileen McLaughlin, RN, BSN
    Date Reviewed: 06/26/01









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    Page Last Updated: 30th May, 2006