What is pre-eclampsia?
Pre-eclampsia is a condition that is characterized by new onset of hypertension (blood pressure over 140 mmHg systolic or over 90 mmHg diastolic) after 20 weeks of pregnancy and the coexistence of one or more of the following new-onset conditions: proteinuria (urine protein:creatinine ratio of 30 mg/mmol or more or albumin:creatinine ratio of 8 mg/mmol or more, or at least 1 g/litre [2+] on dipstick testing) or other maternal organ dysfunction (renal insufficiency, liver involvement, neurological complications such as eclampsia, altered mental status, blindness, stroke, clonus, severe headaches or persistent visual scotomata, haematological complications such as thrombocytopenia, disseminated intravascular coagulation or haemolysis, uteroplacental dysfunction such as fetal growth restriction, abnormal umbilical artery doppler waveform analysis, or stillbirth). 