title: HELLP syndrome with and without eclampsia.
abstract: We assessed pregnancy outcomes for patients with HELLP syndrome (hemolysis; elevated liver enzymes; low platelet count) with and without concurrent eclampsia. We performed a retrospective investigation of data spanning three decades of patients with class 1 or 2 HELLP syndrome with concurrent eclampsia (HELLP + E) and patients with HELLP syndrome without eclampsia. Data were analyzed by appropriate tests for continuous or categorical outcomes with differences considered significant if P < 0.05. During 1981 to 1996 and 2000 to 2006, there were 693 patients with class 1 or 2 HELLP syndrome; altogether, 70 patients had HELLP + E. The only demographic difference was greater nulliparity in HELLP + E patients. Otherwise, inconsistent and clinically insignificant differences were observed between groups. Despite the relatively large size of the study groups, we were unable to detect a significant worsening of maternal or perinatal outcome in HELLP + E patients compared with HELLP patients. In our experience, eclampsia does not appear to contribute a significant adverse impact upon the course or outcome of HELLP syndrome pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Winfred L. Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA.
authors.forename: Sharon D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Keiser
authors.forename: Michelle Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: Marc R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Parrish
authors.forename: Julie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cushman
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bufkin
authors.forename: Warren L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: James N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015897:Comorbidity; D004461:Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D017359:HELLP Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D055815:Young Adult