POSTPARTUM RECOVERY AFTER SEVERE PREECLAMPSIA AND HELLP-SYNDROME

Postpartum recovery was examined in 100 pregnancies complicated by sev ere pre-eclampsia, and in 15 pregnancies in which HELLP-syndrome was p resent. Albuminuria disappeared and diastolic blood pressure returned to normal (< 90 mmHg) in half of the cases within one week postpartum. Postpartum recovery in the cases with HELLP-syndrome did not differ f rom that seen in the pre-eclamptic patients. Thrombocytopenia showed s pontaneous resolution within three days after delivery. In stepwise di scriminant analysis, the incidence of IUGR predicted a slow postpartum recovery, but this did not apply to other factors. Such as diastolic blood pressure before delivery, duration of subjective symptoms, durat ion of pregnancy or severity of albuminuria. Elevated diastolic pressu re and/or albuminuria were diagnosed two months postpartum in one thir d of the patients. If the development of eclampsia is prevented by cor rectly timing the induction of delivery, relatively good short-term po stpartum recovery is protable after severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP-syn drome.