Treatment of early-onset preeclampsia with continuous positive airway pressure.

Abstract

Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. There is no treatment for preeclampsia other than delivery. Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preeclampsia, but it is not known whether treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves perinatal outcomes. We report a 35-year-old primigravid woman diagnosed with preeclampsia at 30 weeks of gestation. A sleep study confirmed severe sleep-disordered breathing, and CPAP treatment was started. After CPAP treatment, both clinical and biochemical markers of preeclampsia improved. In addition, circulating angiogenic markers of preeclampsia improved. As a result, the pregnancy safely continued for 30 days, allowing the fetus to gain gestation. Continuous positive airway pressure may be a novel treatment for women with early-onset preeclampsia associated with sleep-disordered breathing.