Preeclampsia: Updates in Pathogenesis, Definitions, and Guidelines

Preeclampsia is becoming an increasingly common diagnosis in the developed world and remains a high cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality in the developing world. Delay in childbearing in the developed world feeds into the risk factors associated with preeclampsia, which include older maternal age, obesity, and/or vascular diseases. Inadequate prenatal care partially explains the persistent high prevalence in the developing world. In this review, we begin by presenting the most recent concepts in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Upstream triggers of the well described angiogenic pathways, such as the heme oxygenase and hydrogen sulfide pathways, as well as the roles of autoantibodies, misfolded…