Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a disorder of pregnancy characterized by the onset of high blood pressure and often a significant amount of protein in the urine. Preeclampsia is a progressive multisystemic disease of pregnancy that affects the lining of the mother’s blood vessels causing high blood pressure, leaking of fluid from the blood vessels, and may also cause damage to multiple organs. If severe preeclampsia develops at 28 to 36 weeks of pregnancy, the risks are similar to those that can occur prior to 28 weeks, but the rates are lower. INTRODUCTION. Preeclampsia refers to the new onset of hypertension and proteinuria or end-organ dysfunction with or without proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation in a previously normotensive woman. The term preeclampsia with severe features is used when any of the features listed in the following table are present. Women with. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific, multisystem disorder that is characterized by the development of hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. When treatment for acute-onset, severe hypertension is needed and IV access has not yet been initiated, a 200-mg dose of labetalol can be administered orally if immediate release oral nifedipine is not available. Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia are common disorders during pregnancy, with the majority of cases developing at or near term. The development of mild hypertension or preeclampsia at or near term is associated with minimal maternal and neonatal morbidities. Preeclampsia: a pregnancy-specific, multisystem disorder that is characterized by the development of hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. Preeclampsia can occur anytime within the antepartum, intrapartum, and even postpartum periods. Preeclampsia superimposed on chronic American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 409 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024-2188 Mailing Address: PO Box 96920, Washington, DC 20024-9998 Preeclampsia Practice Update. Preeclampsia Practice Update: In addition to IV labetalol and hydralazine, oral nifedipine can also be considered as a first-line antihypertensive medication for severe hypertension, according to the recent ACOG Commitee Opinion (Number 623) February 2015.