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Nature Medicine 14, 810–812 (1 August 2008) | doi:10.1038/nm0808-810

Putting pressure on pre-eclampsia

Samir M Parikh & S Ananth Karumanchi

Pre-eclampsia is estimated to affect 5% of all pregnancies worldwide. The condition, characterized by the onset of maternal hypertension, proteinuria (abnormal spillage of plasma proteins into the urine) and edema after 20 weeks of gestation, can progress to injure the blood vessels of major organs such as the liver and the brain—making it a deadly disease, particularly in settings where tertiary obstetrical care is lacking.