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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffPreeclampsia used to be called toxemia because it was thought to be caused by a toxin in a pregnant woman's bloodstream. This theory has been discarded, but researchers have yet to determine what causes preeclampsia. Possible causes may include:
- Insufficient blood flow to the uterus
- Damage to the blood vessels
- A problem with the immune system
- Poor diet
Other high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy
Preeclampsia is classified as one of four high blood pressure disorders that can occur during pregnancy. The other three are:
- Gestational hypertension. Women with gestational hypertension have high blood pressure, but no excess protein in their urine. Some women with gestational hypertension eventually develop preeclampsia.
- Chronic hypertension. Chronic hypertension is high blood pressure that appears before 20 weeks of pregnancy or lasts more than 12 weeks after delivery. Usually, chronic hypertension was present — but not detected — before pregnancy.
- Preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension. This term describes women who have chronic high blood pressure before pregnancy and then develop worsening high blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy.
- Pregnancy. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/issues/preg/preg.htm. Accessed March 3, 2009.
- Conde-Agudelo A, et al. Maternal infection and risk of preeclampsia: Systematic review and metaanalysis. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008;198:7.
- Bodnar LM, et al. Maternal vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of preeclampsia. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2007;92:3517.
- High blood pressure during pregnancy. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/printableArticles/188_1054.asp. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009.
- Norwitz ER, et al. Management of preeclampsia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Leanos-Miranda A, et al. Urinary prolactin as a reliable marker for preeclampsia, its severity, and the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism. 2008;93:2492.
- Fact sheets: High blood pressure during pregnancy. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/printableArticles/14332_1222.asp. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009.
- August P, et al. Clinical features, diagnosis and prognosis of preeclampsia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Barton JR, et al. Prediction and prevention of recurrent preeclampsia. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2008;112:359.
- Bellamy L, et al. Pre-eclampsia and risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer in later life: Systematic review and meta-analysis. British Medical Journal. 2007;335:974.
- Facchinetti F, et al. Migraine is a risk factor for hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: a prospective cohort study. Cephalgia: An International Journal of Headache. 2009;29:286.
