To prevent preeclampsia, experts push for broader blood pressure testing at home
Eleni Tsigas likens her first experience with preeclampsia to a plane crash. She was in the midst of what she thought was a healthy first pregnancy, with low risk for complications. But at 29 weeks, she was rushed to the emergency room with what she now knows are classic signs of preeclampsia: very high blood pressure, a pounding headache, nausea, blurred vision. She lost her first child while being transported between hospitals.
“When they debrief plane accidents, there’s usually 13 different things or 15 different things that led to the accident. It’s rarely just one,” said Tsigas, now the CEO of the Preeclampsia Foundation, a patient advocacy group.
