Elevated blood pressure and proteinuria (protein in the urine) may indicate mild preeclampsia. Laboratory tests and symptoms help your doctor determine if you have preeclampsia or if your condition is getting worse. Urine and blood tests, for example, can detect abnormalities associated with severe preeclampsia, including:
- increased protein in the urine;
- elevated blood cell count (specifically, the hematocrit level);
- elevated blood levels of proteins (such as lactate dehydrogenase);
- elevated levels of transaminases (liver enzymes);
- elevated uric acid levels;
- decreased blood platelet count; and
- alterations in blood clotting factors.
HELLP syndrome, a variant of severe preeclampsia, is a characterized by:
- hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells);
- elevated liver enzymes (indicative of liver damage); and
- low blood platelet levels (leading to impaired blood clotting, which can cause problems during and after labor).
HELLP can alter liver and kidney function, and perhaps lead to other complications.
Your treatment depends on your blood pressure levels, the extent of your symptoms, and how near to term you are. If you are diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, depending upon how severely you are affected and on how close you are to term, your doctor induces labor as soon as possible, usually within 48 hours. Delivery is usually associated with reversal of laboratory abnormalities and normalization of organ function.
