Amniotic Fluid Embolism: Rare but Deadly in Pregnancy

Amniotic fluid embolism is rare. Amniotic fluid embolism is often fatal. Daily News and Trends has posted an article about a condition that quietly kills women. It is very rare and is not often looked for. In fact the way it is known often is by autopsy.

The condition is called amniotic fluid embolism.

What amniotic fluid embolism is (AFE) consists of is a rare obstetric emergency in which amniotic fluid, hair or fetal cells leak out of the sac and get into the maternal circulation system. This causes cardio-respiratory collapse.

The sad thing about this condition is that the diagnosis is usually made at autopsy. It seems that the illness is hard to determine while the woman is still alive.

An anaphylactic reaction is an allergic reaction often associated with bee stings. It consists of the throat swelling and hives. There is difficulty breathing and a person can die.

That is what it initially thought happened in amniotic fluid embolism. However, tissue and fluid is not always found as the villain to have triggered an anaphylactic condition. It just seems to happen.

This illness is so rare and misunderstood that it is difficult to say even how often it occurs.

It is suspected that it occurs at the rate of 1 in 8,000 to 30,000 pregnancies.

The maternal mortality is a whopping 80 percent and 50 percent die during the onset of symptoms.

No race or age has been associated specifically with this condition.

It typically occurs during pregnancy but can occur during abortion.

Some of the symptoms of the onset of this particular problem are hypotension (low blood pressure), Dyspnea, seizure, cough, fetal slow heartbeat and cardiac arrest.

I recall when my wife was pregnant with our first child. I was scared more than I have ever been scared before or since. She began to have trouble breathing. Her lips turned blue. She began to have hives.

As it turned out she was having an anaphylactic reaction to blueberries.

It is always important to remember that during a pregnancy that a woman's hormones go through major changes and things that she wasn't allergic to before she may now be.

Keep your eyes open.

References: http://emedicine.medscape.com/