Eclampsia

Eclampsia is a rare and life-threatening pregnancy complication that causes seizures. It’s a severe form of preeclampsia, a condition that involves high blood pressure and, sometimes, protein in your pee.

Eclampsia can develop during pregnancy, during delivery or after birth.

Most people with preeclampsia don’t get eclampsia. That’s because healthcare providers often catch preeclampsia with routine screenings before it turns into eclampsia.

Symptoms of eclampsia

Sudden seizures are the main eclampsia symptom. They may involve:

• Jerking movements and loss of consciousness (tonic-clonic seizure)
• Involuntary movements and/or sensory changes (focal seizure)

Sudden seizures during or after pregnancy require emergency medical care.

You may have warning signs of eclampsia, like:

• Severe headaches
• Blurred vision, seeing double or loss of vision
• Abdominal pain, especially on the upper right side
• Swelling in your hands, face or ankles
• Difficulty breathing
• Nausea or vomiting
• Trouble peeing or not peeing often

Many people don’t have these warning signs.

Eclampsia causes

Researchers don’t know the exact cause of eclampsia. Most people with preeclampsia don’t develop eclampsia.

Risk factors

The biggest risk factor for eclampsia is having high blood pressure during pregnancy or preeclampsia. Other risk factors include:

• Autoimmune conditions
• Being under 20 or over 35 years old
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure before pregnancy
• Kidney disease
• Multiple pregnancy, like being pregnant with twins or triplets
• Never having given birth
• Overweight or obesity
• Preeclampsia in a prior pregnancy
• Using assisted reproductive therapies to get pregnant, like IVF

If you’re at high risk for this condition, your pregnancy care provider may suggest extra monitoring. Be sure to go to all your prenatal appointments.

Complications

Eclampsia can cause serious complications for both you and the fetus.

For you, complications can include:

• Blood clots
• Acute kidney failure
• Heart attack and heart failure
• Fluid in your lungs
• HELLP syndrome
• Stroke
• Coma
• Death

For the fetus, complications can include:

• Preterm birth (before 37 weeks of pregnancy)
• Low birth weight
• Placental abruption (separation)
• Stillbirth

Your healthcare team will do everything they can to prevent these complications.

How doctors diagnose this condition

A healthcare provider diagnoses eclampsia if you have a seizure during or after pregnancy, and the seizure has no other cause. Your provider will do a physical exam and might recommend other tests, like:

• Blood tests to check kidney and liver function
• Urine tests to check for large amounts of protein in your pee
• Ultrasounds and other tests to monitor the fetus’s health

Your healthcare team will start treatment right away after diagnosis.

How is it treated?

Eclampsia needs treatment in a hospital. You may need care in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Treatment aims to prevent more seizures and manage your blood pressure while making sure you and the fetus are stable.

Your care team will give you:

• Anticonvulsant medication or an IV of magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures
• Blood pressure medication

If you’re close to term (37 weeks pregnant), your provider will likely recommend early delivery. A vaginal delivery is possible if you and the fetus are stable. Otherwise, you may need a C-section.

Recovery

Once you’re cleared to go home, you’ll need to check your blood pressure regularly at home for at least two weeks. You’ll have follow-up medical appointments, as well.

It’s important to keep a close eye on your health. If something feels off, call your healthcare provider right away.

What can I expect if I have eclampsia?

Most people recover from eclampsia if they’re diagnosed and treated quickly. But you may have long-term challenges, like:

• Memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Persistent headaches
• Vertigo

Eclampsia can cause birth trauma, too. Reach out to a mental health specialist if the memory of this experience is consuming your thoughts or affecting your ability to function.

If you’ve had preeclampsia or eclampsia, you have a higher risk for early blood vessel or heart disease. So, close follow-up with your primary care provider — even after the postpartum period — is important.

Can eclampsia be prevented?

Attending all your prenatal appointments and getting treatment for preeclampsia might reduce your risk of developing eclampsia.

Taking low-dose aspirin in the first trimester can help lower the risk for early-onset preeclampsia. Only take this medicine if your healthcare provider says it’s OK.