20th June 2026

Clinical features

• The key clinical features of pre-eclampsia are hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks’ gestation
• Women may be asymptomatic and diagnosed at a routine clinic visit
• Headaches (usually frontal): indicates severe pre-eclampsia 
• Visual disturbances
• Peripheral oedema
• Upper abdominal pain (usually right upper quadrant)
• Nausea and vomiting 
• Breathlessness (due to pulmonary oedema): one of the main causes of maternal mortality 
• Seizures: requires prompt admission to ICU, stabilisation and delivery
• Oliguria

HELLP syndrome is a variant of severe pre-eclampsia characterised by haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets.