When seeing consults on the maternity floor, figuring out the normal values at the various stages of pregnancy can be a frustrating experience. There are well recognized hemodynamic and biochemical changes which occur from the earliest stages of a normal pregnancy and failure to recognize them could lead to misdiagnosis. Up to now, determining what was normal or abnormal could be difficult but last year a group from Texas published a meta-analysis which pulled together various sources to provide a comprehensive list of normal values for commonly used lab tests during the different trimesters.See this previous post concerning some of the renal adaptations associated with a normal pregnancy.
I was pregnant with my first (and only child) 20 years ago. I was hospitalized in my 3rd trimester with pre-eclampsia; the "stick" showed 4+ protein, the highest the district nurse had ever seen. After delivery, my protenuria never abated; a renal biopsy 6mos postpartum showed fsgs. I am now facing dialysis and am on the transplant list. This is all the information I have...do you think my pregnancy caused my fsgs? Have any of you ever had a patient who presented like me?
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Michelle