Preeclampsia in Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Management, and Future Implications for Maternal Health

Preeclampsia, defined as new-onset hypertension and proteinuria in pregnancy, affects about 4% of all pregnancies in the United States. It can be a challenging disorder to diagnose and manage, and there is overlap between preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, requiring careful analysis of patient data and symptoms to confirm the diagnosis. There are stark racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy outcomes for people affected by preeclampsia and Black pregnant people bear the brunt of poor perinatal outcomes. Preeclampsia is more prevalent in pregnancies affected by comorbidities like obesity and pregestational diabetes. Depending on the severity and timing of the preeclampsia diagnosis, timing of delivery varies widely from extremely preterm gestation to a full-term delivery. People who have had preeclampsia are at increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the future and should be thoughtfully optimized and cared for outside of the short window of pregnancy.