Ruth C., 20

Chepchumba is a 20-year-old young woman who lives with her parents after being abandoned by her boyfriend when she became pregnant while still in secondary school. Her father is a small-scale farmer whose modest income helps support the family. They live in a simple two-room mud house and share a pit latrine with their neighbors. Chepchumba fetches water from a stream located about 35 minutes away on foot, and their home is along a commonly used footpath. She is an energetic and determined young woman with hopes of returning to school and pursuing a medical course in college. Two days ago, Chepchumba began feeling unwell, experiencing a high fever, back pain, and headache. She recalled that in one of the antenatal clinic visits, the nurse had informed her that her blood pressure was high and that she needed to be on medication, and to ensure that she delivers her baby in a health facility. Due to financial constraints, she was unable to afford transport and remained at home until her condition worsened. Eventually, she walked for 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach the nearest health facility. Upon arrival, she was found to be in the second stage of labor and had developed symptoms including severe headache, blurred vision, and pain in the upper right side of her abdomen. She was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and organ involvement. Fortunately, she delivered safely and was admitted for monitoring and management of her elevated blood pressure.

Chepchumba arrived at the facility in the second stage of labour with complaints of severe headaches, visual disturbances, pain below the ribs, vomiting, and sudden swelling of the feet, ankles, face, and hands. On examination, her blood pressure was 196/98 mmHg, and she was diagnosed with preeclampsia. She was admitted and managed with antihypertensive medication and supportive care until her condition stabilized. Following delivery and recovery, she was discharged in stable condition. She came back to the hospital for medical check up 1 week and was confirmed to be doing well, and her blood pressure had begun reducing

The prognosis of pre-eclampsia depends on the severity of the condition, how early it occurs, and how quickly it's managed. Ruth's condition was managed as soon as it was diagnosed and she is likely to have a good prognosis.