HELLP syndrome
Sign in to saveAlso known as HELLP syndrome (disorder), syndrome of haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet
severe pre-eclampsia characterized by hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme and low platelet count
Key facts
- Specialty
- Obstetrics
- Symptoms
- Feeling tired, retaining fluid, headache , nausea, upper abdominal pain , blurry vision, seizures
- Complications
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), placental abruption , kidney failure , pulmonary edema
- Usual onset
- Last 3 months of pregnancy or shortly after childbirth
- Types
- Complete, incomplete
- Causes
- Unknown
- Risk factors
- Preeclampsia , eclampsia , previously having HELLP, mother older than 25 years
- Diagnostic method
- Blood tests
- Differential diagnosis
- Viral hepatitis , thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura , cholangitis , hemolytic uremic syndrome
- Treatment
- Delivery of the baby as soon as possible, management of blood pressure
- Prognosis
- <1% risk of death (mother); 7.3% to 11.9% risk of death (child)
- Frequency
- ~0.7% of pregnancies
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
3,678 papersvia PubMed
Wikidata facts
Show 2 more facts
- NCI Thesaurus ID
- C84750
- exact match
- identifiers.org/doid/DOID:13133
Sources (8)
via Wikidata · CC0
~13 min read
Article
HELLP syndrome is a complication of pregnancy; the acronym stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. It usually begins during the last three months of pregnancy or shortly after childbirth. Symptoms may include feeling tired, retaining fluid, headache, nausea, upper right abdominal pain, blurry vision, nosebleeds, and seizures. Complications may include disseminated intravascular coagulation, placental abruption, and kidney failure.
The cause is unknown. The condition occurs in association with pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. Other risk factors include previously having the syndrome and a mother older than 25 years. The underlying mechanism may involve abnormal placental development. Diagnosis is generally based on blood tests finding signs of red blood cell breakdown (lactate dehydrogenase greater than 600 U/L), an aspartate transaminase greater than 70 U/L, and platelets less than 100×10/l. If not all the criteria are present, the condition is incomplete.