Preeclampsia can be a major concern for pregnant women in Texas and across the country as the disorder can cause premature birth, low birth weight, kidney and liver damage, premature placenta separation, seizures and stroke. The life-threatening disorder is more common among women with high blood pressure. One study indicates that a daily aspirin regimen could help some pregnant women beginning to experience high blood pressure to avoid preeclampsia.
New guidelines were recently released that redefine high blood pressure, which presents doctors who treat pregnant women with important decisions about how to pursue treatment to avoid preeclampsia and the resulting birth complications. Women who are considered at high risk to develop the disorder are given low-dose aspirin under existing guidelines in order to help prevent it. However, as the threshold for high blood pressure was revised downwards, this means that more women could be considered at risk.
In the past, a reading of 140/90 was considered first-stage high blood pressure. Under the new guidelines, those numbers are 130/80. The study, published in May 2018, says that women in that first stage of hypertension can be helped in avoiding preeclampsia by taking a low-dose aspirin regimen. Research indicated that the risk was reduced by 39 percent in this category of women when they took low-dose aspirin in comparison to placebo.
Around the world, preeclampsia causes 10 to 15 percent of maternal deaths and many serious birth injuries. It occurs in approximately 3 percent of pregnancies that take place in the United States. Families who are suffering as a result of a damaging birth injury may have a claim against the medical facilities involved in the delivery depending. A medical malpractice attorney may provide advice as to the next steps in moving forward with such a claim.
