2026 WORLD PRE-ECLAMPSIA DAY: Ikubese Canvasses For Continuous Increased Education
The Medical Director of Sckyé hospitals ltd and former Presidential Aspirant, Dr Thomas-Wilson Ikubese has admonished pregnant women to be vigilant and pay attention to their body language.
While addressing pregnant women at the weekly antenatal clinic, Dr Ikubese stated that 22nd of May every year is designated by the World Health Organization as the global World Preeclampsia Day, a day dedicated for awareness about this condition.
Ikubese described pre-eclampsia as new-onset hypertensive disorder that occurs in pregnancy after 20 weeks of gestation in a woman known to previously have normal blood pressure.
He further explained that preeclampsia can be divided into two categories.
The first category is preeclampsia without severe features, while the second category is preeclampsia with severe features.
In preeclampsia without severe features, the blood pressure is equal to or greater than 140/90mmHg taken on two occasions at least 4 hours apart.
On the other hand, in preeclampsia with severe features, the blood pressure is equal to or greater than 160/110mmHg taken on two occasions at least 4 hours apart with any of the following; (a)thrombocytopenia with platelets counts less than 100,000 per microliter,
(b)renal insufficiency with creatinine greater than 1.1mg/dL or creatinine values doubling the normal values without any other cause,
(c)impaired liver function, which presents as either upper abdominal/right sided abdominal pain or twice the normal liver enzyme
(d) cerebral or visual disturbances
(e) pulmonary edema (abnormal accumulation of fluid around the lungs)
(f) severe headache
(g) utero-placenta insufficiency with foetal growth restriction.
Speaking to the pregnant women, Ikubese stated that preeclampsia/eclampsia is now the leading cause of maternal mortality in our environment and that every woman, pregnant or not needs to be abreast therefore of the condition.
He further stated that though the specific cause of preeclampsia is not known amidst several postulated theories, there are however certain risk factors that predispose a woman to developing the condition, such as chronic hypertension (high blood pressure before pregnancy), pre-existing conditions such as diabetes (type 1 or 2), kidney disease, and autoimmune diseases like lupus or antiphospholipid syndrome, obesity, first time mothers, multiple gestation, IVF-conceived pregnancy, long interpregnancy interval of ten years or more, first time mothers, multiple gestations, family history of preeclampsia, obesity, advanced maternal age (greater than 40yrs), history of preeclampsia in previous pregnancy
Ikubese stated that no pregnant woman deserves to die from preeclampsia/clampsia as the disease gives tell tale signs and symptoms which are often ignored by its victims.
He then urged pregnant women to register for antenatal care early, attend all their clinic appointments and report to the hospital immediately if they see any of the mentioned features of preeclampsia.
