Active clinical trials for "Pre-Eclampsia"

Preeclampsia is a life-threatening condition unique to pregnancy which occurs in 5-8% of all pregnancies. It contributes to a large proportion of maternal mortality worldwide and these deaths largely result from delayed diagnosis. A number of studies have shown that patient knowledge about preeclampsia is poor and that patient education can improve patient awareness. The investigators would like to find out what type of patient education is most effective. The investigators propose a three arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) where the first arm will receive a graphic card depicting signs and symptoms of preeclampsia, the second arm will watch an educational video on preeclampsia, and the third arm will have no visual form of patient education; they will be exposed only to the counseling they receive with their routine prenatal care. The card and video were both developed by the Preeclampsia Foundation and in a prior RCT the card was shown to be a useful educational intervention. This study would expand on this previous data by comparing the graphic card to an informational video available on the Preeclampsia Foundation's website (http://www.preeclampsia.org/component/allvideoshare/video/featured/7-symptoms-every-pregnant-woman-should-know?Itemid=479). The effectiveness of this video has not yet been tested as an educational tool. Patients in the arm receiving the graphic card for educational intervention will be allowed to keep this card. Primiparous patients seen in the ambulatory prenatal clinic and Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) clinic will be enrolled at 18w0d-24w6d gestation. At the time of enrollment baseline preeclampsia knowledge, demographics, and patient anxiety before and after initial exposure to the educational interventions will be assessed. A follow up assessment of knowledge of preeclampsia will be obtained at 32-36 weeks gestation to measure retention of knowledge. Patient medical records will be reviewed for delivery outcomes which will be recorded and compared.

Vitamin D deficiency is wide spread in South Asian population and is contributing to burden of disease in this region including Pakistan. The relative importance of vitamin D deficiency, mutation in its receptor and maternal and child health has not been established in Pakistan and population based studies are required to explore and avert the maternal and Neonatal complications and consequences of Vitamin D deficiency The trial will evaluate the effectiveness of Vitamin D supplementation to pregnant women and their Infants. It will be a double blind placebo controlled trial, which will be conducted in a rural district of Pakistan.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of regular aerobic exercise on endothelial function in pregnancy.

This study is recruiting two groups of women over the age of 18; those who are pregnant and who have pre-eclampsia; and those who are pregnant but do not have pre-eclampsia. The aim is to test a new method of diagnosing and monitoring pre-eclampsia and thus prevent the long-term damage it can cause to the baby's health. Untreated, pre-eclampsia can lead to seizures in pregnancy (eclampsia) and may prove fatal for mother and child. Currently the only effective treatment for pre-eclampsia is control of the mother's blood pressure until it is safe to deliver the baby. The timing of delivery is kept under constant review by the medical team, who must balance the risk to the mother of developing eclampsia against the risk to the baby of being born too early (premature). If pre-eclampsia can be diagnosed early, there is a greater chance of being able to treat it effectively. We know that women with pre-eclampsia often have exaggerated reflexes in their limbs (hyperreflexia) and that this may be linked to the risk of seizures. Measuring these reflexes might therefore be a useful way to diagnose and monitor pre-eclampsia, but doing this is not easy, so we want to assess whether measuring other reaction times might similarly help assess the risk of seizures. One possibility is by measuring the reaction time as we flick our eyes to follow a moving target, using an instrument called a saccadometer, which is worn on a head-band, a little like a head-torch. By comparing the results between these groups and the non-pregnant women, we will be able to see if reaction times from the saccadometer are altered in women with pre-eclampsia, and, if so, whether saccadometry might be useful in helping doctors decide the best time for safe delivery.

Mild pre-eclampsia represents 75% of cases with pre-eclampsia, possible progression to severe pre-eclampsia makes mild pre-eclampsia a serious problem that requires attention. Previous studies have shown that expectant and conservative management of pre-eclampsia in the context of extreme prematurity may improve perinatal outcomes. Indeed, it has been estimated that for each additional day of pregnancy prolongation between 24 and 32 weeks of gestation, there is a nonlinear corresponding gain of 1% in fetal survival. Sildenafil citrate has been used for increasing utero-placental perfusion in cases with intrauterine growth restriction, which makes it a promising drug in management of mild pre-eclampsia.

Magnesium Sulphate is the drug of choice for prevention and treatment of seizures in preeclampsia and eclampsia. It is administered parenterally by intravenous (IV) and or intramuscular (IM) routes. The IM regimen requires repeated painful injections which may be a barrier to optimal utilization whereby, there is frequent omission of some doses or increased interval between maintenance doses and low patient acceptability of magnesium. The study plans to assess the acceptability and safety of Springfusor device in the administration of magnesium sulphate in preeclampsia and eclampsia.

This is a randomised placebo controlled trial investigating the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on hypertension in pregnancy

Preeclampsia is globally responsible for tens of thousands of maternal and neonatal deaths each year. Currently, there are no medical therapies to halt disease progression and expectant management and delivery remain the mainstay of treatment. An important step in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia is a poor placental invasion and the subsequent release of the anti-angiogenic factors soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin (sEng)into the maternal circulation. Given metformin and esomeprazole successfully mitigate key pathogenic features of preeclampsia, the investigator will study whether combining low-doses of metformin and esomeprazole may be additive or synergistic (or neither) in reducing sFlt-1 and sEng secretion, and mitigating endothelial dysfunction, compared to placebo.

Previous studies have suggested that NSAID use causes an increase in blood pressure. Further, blood pressure elevation has been noted in women with pregnancy related hypertensive disease during the postpartum period. NSAIDs remain part of standard postpartum care in women with hypertensive disease. The objective of this study is to determine whether postpartum standard care withholding NSAID use is associated with a clinically significant reduction in postpartum hypertension in women with pregnancy induced hypertension. The investigators hypothesize that women with pregnancy induced hypertensive disease will be half as likely to have blood pressure elevation of 150/100 mmHg in the first 24 hours postpartum. This study is an open label randomized trial of women with antepartum hypertension. Women will be randomized to receive standard postpartum care or standard postpartum care without NSAIDs. Blood pressure measurements and patient outcomes will be recorded. The study period will begin at the time of delivery and will end at the time of hospital discharge.

the investigators assume that magnesium sulphate for treating eclampsia can be safely reduced from 24 hours to shorter duration of therapeutic anticonvulsant effect for 12 hours. Short duration of drug exposure is suitable for low resource setting where there is little tools or busy staff for monitoring drug toxicity.