Hellp syndrome

-

HELLP syndrome is a complication of pregnancy that occurs as a combination of symptoms or effects, which give the syndrome its name:

  • Hemolytic anemia, that is, the decomposition of red blood cells (hemolysis-H-)
  • Elevation of liver enzymes (elevated liber enzymes-EL-)
  • Thrombocytopenia, which means low concentration of surrounding platelets in the blood (low platelet-LP-)

This pathology is considered a variant of preeclampsia and, like it, it usually appears at the end of pregnancy or even in some cases, after delivery. Its prevalence is not very high, between 1 and 2 glasses per 1000 pregnancies.

Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article.

Index

HELLP syndrome

Diagnosis and symptoms

Diagnosing the HELLP syndrome can be complicated since many times the symptoms are confused with other pathologies such as gastritis, influenza, gallbladder disease, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, acute hepatitis, etc.

Variant of preeclampsia

The mortality rate of HELLP is close to 25% and therefore it is essential that pregnant women know of this syndrome and know the symptoms so that they can receive an adequate diagnosis and treatment on time.

The most prominent symptoms are:

  • Headache, shoulder and / or abdomen.
  • Fatigue and pain when breathing deeply.
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Hypertension
  • Fluid retention and excessive or above normal weight gain
  • Blurry vision
  • Nasal bleeding or other parts of the body
  • High blood pressure
  • Presence of proteins in the urine
  • Swelling

Treatment and prevention

Generally the best treatment for women with HELLP syndrome is to give birth, even if the birth occurs prematurely.

Sometimes it is necessary for the woman to receive blood transfusions, either red blood cells, platelets or plasma. You can also be given corticosteroids to promote the development of the baby's lungs and other types of steroids to improve the conditions of the pregnant woman. In addition, medications are often prescribed to treat hypertension or infusion of magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures.

Regular controls during pregnancy

If the diagnosis is early, the appropriate treatment is received and regular gestational check-ups are carried out, there is no need to have important complications. However, if left untreated, complications can arise and even in a small number of cases, it can lead to the death of the mother.

The survival of babies born prematurely in case of complications will depend on the weight they have at birth and how developed their organs are, especially the lungs. The majority of both fetal and neonatal deaths are related to placental abruption, placental insufficiency with intrauterine asphyxia and extreme prematurity.

Although there is currently no definite way to prevent HELLP syndrome, following the following tips or indications can be very helpful.

  • Have a good physical shape before pregnancy
  • Perform the regular prenatal check-ups indicated by the specialist who controls the pregnancy
  • Know the symptoms of the syndrome and go or inform the doctor before any sign or warning signal.
  • Know and inform the doctor about a high risk background such as having previously suffered the HELLP syndrome or having a family history of HELLP syndrome, preeclampsia or other hypertensive disorders.

Women who have suffered in pregnancy previous HELLP syndrome have a risk of recurrence of between 20 and 30%. In addition, this risk increases to 60% if the disease appeared before the seventh month of pregnancy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The child's uterus: causes, diagnosis and possibility of pregnancy

-
Image
The uterus or infantile matrix is ??a uterine malformation that consists in the insufficient development of the reproductive organ in charge of gestating: the uterus. This alteration is also known as hypoplasia uterine or hypoplastic uterus due to the lack of maturity it presents. Despite the smaller size of the uterus, these women do not always have infertility and some can carry out a pregnancy without problems. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index The infant uterus: causes, diagnosis and possibility of pregnancy 1. How is the hypoplastic uterus? 2. Causes 3. Diagnosis 4. Is pregnancy possible? 5. Questions from users 5.1. What are the consequences of having a small uterus? 5.2. Is there any treatment to correct a hypoplastic uterus? 6. Recommended reading 7. Authors and collaborators How is the hypoplastic uterus? The approximate measurements of the normal uterus in an adult woman are 7 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm, al...
Read more

Infertility and sexually transmitted diseases

-
Image
Sexually transmitted diseases, also known as sexually transmitted infections, are a set of infectious-contagious clinical conditions that are transmitted from person to person through sexual contact, which occurs, almost exclusively, during sexual intercourse, including vaginal sex , anal sex and oral sex. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index Infertility and sexually transmitted diseases 1. Increase in infertility 2. Consequences in reproductive health However, they can also be transmitted through the use of contaminated syringes or through contact with blood, and some of them can be transmitted during pregnancy or delivery, from mother to child. The increase in sexually transmitted diseases in recent decades has become the leading cause of infertility in both men and women. 70 or 80 percent of cases of infertility are due to obstructions caused by sexually transmitted diseases, both viral and bacterial and fungal, such as go...
Read more

Can I do anything to change the position of a breech baby?

-
Image
In the first two trimesters the fetus is so small that it moves freely, but after the seventh month of pregnancy, when its possibilities of movement become more limited due to the increase in length and volume, it usually turns around and puts the head in place in the uterus. This way, it leaves more space in the upper part of the placenta that is wider, in order to position the legs and the rest of the body more comfortably. This position, in addition, facilitates the delivery. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index Can I do something to change the position of a breech baby? 1. Why do you have a breech? 2. Can I do something to change the baby's position naturally? But in 2-3% of deliveries, the baby is placed breech or breech position, in this position the baby is sitting on the cervix and legs crossed, offering first the buttocks at the time of delivery. It is considered incomplete if it is with the legs stretched with th...
Read more