[Development of symptoms and perinatal complications in HELLP syndrome]

At the Kiel University Department of Gynaecology, 21 patients between the 21th and 39th week of gestation were treated in 1987 and 1988 following diagnosis of HELLP syndrome. At the time of diagnosis all patients presented an advanced gestosis/eclampsia. 9 patients developed the classical signs and symptoms, while hospitalised. The typical signs of gestosis, hypertension, proteinurea, oedema and hypoproteinaemia preceded the changes in laboratory values caused by the HELLP syndrome. Upper abdominal pain and increase in transaminase values occurred on the average 3.4 or 2.7 days prior to the decrease of, thrombocyte count. In 19 of the 21 cases, pregnancy was terminated by caesarean section. Severe peripartal complications occurred in 7 cases e.g. foetal death in utero (n = 3), eclampsia (n = 5), renal failure (n = 2), cerebral oedema (n = 1), intracerebral haemorrhage (n = 1), disseminated intravascular coagulation (n = 1), abdominal wall haematoma (n = 1). 6 of these patients were admitted after complications had occurred prior to admittance. All 18 infants born alive survived the neonatal period. The average birth weight was 1,571 g. 11 infants were discharged clinically normal. The remaining infants included 5 cases pointing to retinopathy and 3 cases of cerebral palsy. One infant developed post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus.