Parathyroid extract in pre-eclamptic toxemia

Abstract

A brief review of the literature dealing with the incidence of tetany in pregnancy and its relation to pre-eclamptic toxemia is given.Calcium and vitamin D were found effective in relieving the symptoms of maternal tetany. Parathyroid extract was found to be of value in reducing edema and relieving the symptoms of pre-eclamptic toxemia. Clinical improvement preceded the fall in blood pressure. The systolic and diastolic pressures dropped in all patients but did not return to normal until after delivery. There were no cases of eclampsia in this series and no maternal deaths. I refer to deaths because toxemia of pregnancy causes approximately 25 per cent of maternal deaths.21In this series it was not found necessary to give intravenous glucose or hospitalize any of these pre-eclamptic patients. Foods rich in calcium, protein, and vitamin D were included in the diet. Additional rest with or without sedatives was used when indicated. Magnesium sulfate was not used orally to promote elimination nor was it necessary to restrict water.Certainly one should not infer from this paper that parathyroid extract alone can relieve the symptoms in all cases of pre-eclamptic toxemia, but I believe it is a useful drug in the early cases and should be tried in a larger series of greater severity.