ABSTRACT
These will either be maternal or fetal. Maternal investigations would first confirm the diagnosis and then form the baseline on which subsequent monitoring for progression would be based. These include a FBC (specifically thrombocytopenia whose presence indicates disease severity), U&Es, which are indicators of renal impairment, serum uric acid (values above gestation-specific upper limits are useful in gauging disease severity), fibrinogen and FDPs (fibrinogen levels fall while FDPs rise with disease severity), LFT (AST and serum proteins – transaminases rise with hepatocellular damage while protein levels fall with severe disease) and quantification of proteinuria from a 24-hour urine collection (more reliable than random urinalysis). Additionally, the creatinine clearance rate and protein: creatinine ratio could be estimated from the urine collection. A 24-hour BP recording will provide a better assessment of the degree of hypertension. These investigations should be repeated with a frequency determined by the disease severity and perceived progression.
