Changes of blood pressure and heart rate variability precede a grand mal seizure in a pregnant woman.
In order to evaluate blood pressure and heart rate variability as a potent diagnostic tool for different hypertensive pregnancy disorders we started a clinical trial recording these variables in early pregnancies predisposed for preeclampsia. During routine measurements one of the patients experienced a grand mal epileptic seizure. Since the parameters of both heart rate and blood pressure variability were sequentially altered immediately before the seizure, this case report provides an interesting insight into autonomic cardiovascular control in a developing convulsive fit and the pathophysiological generation of a grand mal seizure in pregnancy.
Faber
Renaldo
R
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Leipzig, Germany. fabr@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Stepan
Holger
H
Baumert
Mathias
M
Voss
Andreas
A
Walther
Thomas
T
D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004827:Epilepsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology