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Proteinuria and microalbuminuria :
Review ofLiterature
The most recent classification ofpreeclampsia require proteinuria
(defined by excretion of 300mg or greater in 24hour urine specimens; this
usually correlates with 30mg/dL on random sampling (O'Brien, 1992) .
Micro-albuminuria 24 urinary albumin excretion> 30mg/L
(30uglm) might become a clinical tool for predicting pre-eclampsia.
Das et at, (1996), Lopez-Espinoza et al., (1986) found that
proteinuric pre-eclampsia was not preceded by a phase of increasing
albumin loss which could be detected by sensitive radio-immune assay
techniques.
Weight Gain:
A sudden increase in weight may precede the development of
preeclampsia, and indeed , excessive weight gain in some women is the
first sign. A weight increase of about 1 pound per week is normal, but
when weight gain exceeds more than 2 pounds in any given week, or 6
pounds in a month, developing preeclampsia should be suspected, the
suddenness of excessive weight gain is characteristic ofpreeclampsia
rather than an increase distributed throughout gestation. Such a weight
gain due almost entirely to abnormal fluid retention and is usually
demonstrable before visible signs of non-dependent edema, such as
swollen eyelids and puffy fingers. In cases of fulminating preeclampsia.
Or eclampsia, fluid retention may be extreme and in these women, a
weight gain of 10 or more is not unusual. The total weight gained during
pregnancy, however, probably has no relation to preeclampsia unless a
large component ofthe gain is edema. Stringent restriction ofweight gain
is more likely to be detrimental rather than beneficial to both mother and
fetus (Cunningham et al., 1994).
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