Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
HELLP syndrome natural history, complications and prognosis
Introduction
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Complications
Complications
- There can be complications before and after the baby is delivered, including:
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC): a clotting disorder that leads to
- Excess bleeding (hemorrhage)
- Fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema)
- Kidney failure
- Liver hemorrhage and failure
- Separation of the placenta from the uterine wall (placental abruption)
- After the baby is born and HELLP syndrome has time to improve, most of these complications will go away.
Prognosis
Prognosis
- Mortality is 7-35% and perinatal mortality of the child may be up to 40%.
- When the disease is not treated early, up to 1 out of 4 women develop serious complications. Without treatment, a small number of women die.
- The death rate among babies born to mothers with HELLP syndrome depends on birth weight and the development of the baby’s organs, especially the lungs.
- HELLP syndrome may return in up to 1 out of 4 future pregnancies.
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]