A woman at 25 weeks' gestation comes to the clinic for her prenatal visit. The nurse notices that her face and lower extremities are swollen, and her blood pressure is 154/94 mm Hg. The woman states that she has had headaches and blurry vision but thinks it is just because she is tired. What should the nurse suspect?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Classic symptoms of preeclampsia include elevated blood pressure (greater than 140 mm Hg systolic or 90 mm Hg diastolic in a woman with previously normal blood pressure) and proteinuria. Onset and worsening symptoms may be sudden, and subjective signs include headaches and visual changes. Eclampsia is manifested by generalized tonic-clonic seizures. These symptoms are not indicative of diabetes mellitus (type 1 or 2) or preterm labor.

A Woman at 25 Weeks' Gestation Comes to the Clinic