title: HELLP syndrome: the state of the art.
abstract: Preeclampsia/eclampsia has been recognized for centuries and continues to plague both the patient and the obstetrician. A severe variant, the syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP), has been recognized for 50 years. Although much new data has been elucidated about the condition, only several observations have withstood the test of time. These are the uniqueness of the disease to humans, the progressive nature of the disease, and the fact that delivery is the sole therapy.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  After completion of this article, the reader should be able to outline the history of HELLP syndrome and describe the pathophysiology of HELLP syndrome, to summarize the clinical presentation and differential diagnosis of HELLP syndrome, and to list the various management options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fellow, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Jason.Baxter@jefferson.edu
authors.forename: Jason K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D017359:HELLP Syndrome; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy