Preeclampsia and eclampsia are complications of pregnancy. In preeclampsia, the woman has dangerously high blood pressure, swelling, and protein in the urine. If allowed to progress, this syndrome will lead to eclampsia.

High blood pressure in pregnancy (hypertension) is a very serious complication. It puts both the mother and the fetus at risk for a number of problems. Hypertension can exist in several different forms. One of these is the preeclampsia-eclampsia continuum (also called pregnancy-induced hypertension or PIH). In this type of hypertension, high blood pressure is first noted sometime after week 20 of pregnancy and is accompanied by protein in the urine and swelling. Chronic hypertension is another form of hypertension. It usually exists before pregnancy or may develop before week 20 of pregnancy. Chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia is another form of chronic hypertension. This syndrome occurs when a woman with pre-existing chronic hypertension begins to...