HELLP is an acronym for the symptoms of a serious condition that affects some women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Hemolysis (which means the breakdown of red blood cells), Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelet count (platelets are crucial for clotting of the blood): these are the symptoms of HELLP syndrome.
It can be deadly for the mother as well as her baby. This makes early detection imperative. HELLP syndrome develops in a small number of pregnant women, who have preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is high blood pressure that develops because of pregnancy. Blood pressure is the force with which the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries. If blood pressure is too high, it can interfere with the blood and oxygen that circulates to the baby. High blood pressure can damage the mother’s liver, kidneys, or brain. Sometimes, it causes seizures.
A woman is diagnosed with preeclampsia if she has:
-The onset of high blood pressure after the twentieth week of pregnancy
-Protein in her urine
-Swelling
Although the two conditions can be related, HELLP syndrome may actually occur before preeclampsia can be detected. For this reason, it is sometimes misdiagnosed as gall bladder disease, gastritis, or some other condition.
A woman with HELLP syndrome might complain of pain in the upper right part of her abdomen. She might have headaches, nausea and vomiting, problems with her vision, or bleeding from the gums. These symptoms could easily be attributed to a virus, or some other less serious illness.
It used to be that the preferred treatment for HELLP was delivery of the baby as soon as possible. However, babies born prematurely are at high risk for respiratory problems and other health issues. Doctors have found that they can sometimes manage the mother’s symptoms and give the baby more time before delivery.
This is more often possible if a woman has only one or two of the indicators of HELLP syndrome. Blood pressure control and prevention of seizures is of primary importance in managing the symptoms. At the very least, a woman will be put on bed rest, fluids will be administered, and her condition will be closely monitored. Sometimes corticosteroids or other medications are used to help with platelet count and liver function.
Although some studies have indicated that taking aspirin or calcium might inhibit HELLP syndrome, the results have been inconclusive. At this time, doctors do not fully understand what leads to the development of this dangerous condition, and they do not know how it can be prevented. They do know that a woman who develops HELLP syndrome has an increased risk of developing the problem again in later pregnancies.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medline plus/ency/article/000890.htm
http://www.aafp.org/afp/990901 ap/829.html
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