Sharing information on HELLP and Preeclampsia

HELLP is rare right? Yet so many of us have had it. Cant find THAT much information on it. I found this...thought I would share.

Patients with a history of HELLP probably are at significant risk for the development of pre-eclampsia with or without HELLP in the next pregnancy. HELLP has up to a 27% chance of reoccurance in the next pregnancy.  Especially if it was class I HELLP. 

Pre-eclampsia is more likely to happen in a second pregnancy especially if HELLP and pre-eclampsia were both diagnosed. Mild pre-eclampsia at term is less likely to recur (5-10%) and when it does it's usually mild again. 

 

A characteristic of pre-eclampsia-eclampsia that is frequently overlooked is the tendency of the condition to occur in daughters and sisters of women with a history of pre-eclampsia. 

WHy did I get HELLP or Preeclampsia you ask?

For some reason Vasospasms start in your body.  The blood vessels start to act like a muscle relaxing and contracting.  Like opening and closing your fist.  As blood is passed through these relaxing and contracting veins it causes damage to a special lining that is found in the veins.  As this damage occurs to your red blood cells  your platelets come to the rescue to try and heal the damage.  In the process they create clots over the damage.  Those clots get bigger and bigger and begin to stress your body as it try's to push the blood past this damage.

 

Your body tries to make up for the damage red blood cells, which causes your veins to become 'leaky' by increasing your body's water volume.  Your kidneys start to hold on to more water resulting in low urine output.  Swelling come from those leaky veins. The decreased blood flow only adds further strain to your heart, lungs, brain, kidneys and liver. 

In HELLP the liver is mainly affected.  It is deprived of Oxygen because the the clots. It begins to die. This begins the rise in Liver Enzymes or the pain that is often misdiagnosed as Heartburn or feeling "Flu-y".

Of course these Vasospasm that cause damage also cause damage to the vessels in and out of the Placenta.  The stress causes IUGR.

Information from this post was taken here