Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are responsible for more than 60,000 maternal deaths around the world each year, and cause complications in up to 12% of all pregnancies. Pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia show higher maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Numerous theories exist attempting to explain the etiopathogenesis of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia may have early- or late-onset in pregnancy, with the same pathophysiology characterized by disturbed placental perfusion and endothelial dysfunction preceding the clinical manifestations. Causative therapy for preeclampsia is still missing, and the only effective therapy recognized so far is delivery, with expected recovery of pregnant women after 6 weeks. Early detection using general or specialized screening tests can reduce the consequences for health, especially in infants. This review has emphasized the multifactorial etiology of preeclampsia. Each of the cited etiological factors helps to elucidate the pathogenesis in some way—on the contrary, they also increase the need for the precise detection and understanding of the primary factors, which in most of the cases remain unknown. Therefore, based on the existing knowledge, preeclampsia may be considered as “disease of theories. ”The aim of the paper is to present the characteristics of pregnant women presenting with different types of preeclampsia, with an overview of the pathophysiological mechanism of the disease.
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