Standardization of Preeclampsia Study Design 1295 Proposal Appreciation of Preeclampsia as a Syndrome

Preeclampsia remains a major problem worldwide for mothers and babies. It is estimated that yearly 50 000 women die in developing countries from preeclampsia. Careful maternal observation for the signs of preeclampsia and delivery of women with increasingly severe preeclampsia is the cornerstone of management (as it has been for the past 100 years). Maternal mortality is, therefore, much less in developed countries with the capacity for careful perinatal observation, but morbidity is considerable and remains the leading cause of admissions to intensive care for pregnant women. Also, the appropriate delivery of women who develop increasingly severe preeclampsia early in gestation accounts for 8% of all preterm births.