HELLP syndrome - Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment | Mombabykids.com
Hellp syndrome: a complication of preeclampsia
Hellp syndrome is a serious complication of pregnancy, often associated with preeclampsia, or toxemia of pregnancy. An overview of this syndrome, from its definition to its management, including the symptoms it induces in pregnant women.
What is Hellp syndrome? What is the link with pre-eclampsia?
Hellp syndrome or HELLP syndrome, since it is an acronym, refers to severe liver damage, which most often occurs during pregnancy with pre-eclampsia or toxemia of pregnancy .
This syndrome is characterized by the association of three biological parameters: hemolysis, thrombocytopenia and hepatic cytolysis:
- hemolysis corresponds to the destruction of red blood cells , here in the liver;
- thrombocytopenia refers to a decrease in the quality of thrombocytes, or platelets, in the blood;
- Hepatic cytolysis corresponds to an increase in hepatic enzymes linked to inflammation of the liver, and reflects the progressive destruction of liver cells.
It is from these three criteria that the name of this syndrome comes, since the acronym HELLP means “ Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzyme, Low Platelets”.
What are the differences between pre-eclampsia and eclamptic crisis? Is Hellp syndrome the most common complication?
Preeclampsia is the onset or worsening of hypertension during pregnancy, after 20 weeks of gestation, with proteinuria. Eclamptic seizure is a complication of preeclampsia , which consists of seizures similar to those of epilepsy , generalized and unexplained. Let us reassure ourselves: these complications are very rare. Preeclampsia affects 3 to 7% of pregnant women, eclampsia occurs in approximately 0.5% of patients with preeclampsia and Hellp syndrome occurs in 10 to 20% of women with preeclampsia.
Pregnancy: what are the symptoms and signs of Hellp syndrome and pre-eclampsia?
Most often, HELLP syndrome is therefore a complication of preeclampsia, but in 15% of cases, there is no gestational hypertension, which complicates the diagnosis.
When it occurs against a background of preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome is therefore characterized by the same symptoms as this pregnancy pathology, namely:
- high blood pressure ;
- too much protein in the urine ( proteinuria );
- headaches (cephalgia);
- edema of the hands, feet, or even the face;
- very sudden weight gain ;
- visual disturbances (“flies” before the eyes);
- nausea , vomiting .
But other, less specific symptoms can accompany HELLP syndrome:
- flu-like condition;
- abdominal pain (like a bar in the liver);
- jaundice (or icterus);
- hypoglycemia;
- lack of sodium (hyponatremia) ;
- thromboembolic complications ( phlebitis , stroke, pulmonary embolism);
- postpartum hemorrhage ;
- acute renal failure;
- or complications of preeclampsia (retroplacental hematoma, eclamptic crisis ).
