Imitators of severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia

Several microangiopathic disorders that are encountered during pregnancy provide physicians with a formidable diagnostic challenge. Severe pre-eclampsia with hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome and many other obstetric and medical or surgical conditions produce similar clinical presentations and laboratory study results to pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is frequently superimposed on one of the above disorders, further confounding an already difficult differential diagnosis. Because of the remarkably similar clinical and laboratory findings of these disease processes, even the most experienced physician will face a diagnostic challenge. An effort should be made to make an accurate diagnosis, given the fact that management strategies and outcome may differ among these conditions.