A 25-year-old woman in the last trimester of her first pregnancy presents for a routine obstetric evaluation. Her blood pressure is 160/100 mm Hg, and her pulse is 75 per minute. Physical examination shows pitting edema of the extremities. Urinalysis demonstrates 3+ proteinuria. Which of the following is the most dangerous complication of preeclampsia in this patient?
Correct Answer: Disseminated intravascular coagulation
Description: Preeclampsia usually begins insidiously after the 20th week of pregnancy with (1) excessive weight gain occasioned by fluid retention, (2) increased maternal blood pressure, and (3) the appearance of proteinuria. As the disease progresses from mild to severe preeclampsia, the diastolic pressure persistently exceeds 110 mm Hg. Proteinuria is greater than 3 g per day, and renal function declines. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) often supervenes. DIC is a prominent feature of preeclampsia, manifested as fibrin thrombi in the liver, brain, and kidneys. The definitive therapy is the removal of the placenta, hopefully by normal delivery. The other choices are not complications of preeclampsia.Diagnosis: Preeclampsia
Category:
Pathology
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