I have a quesiton about pregnancy that many of you are more qualified than I
to answer.

I have a client who has a disease called pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE).  She
came to me because my children have the same disease.  It causes a
calcification of connective tissue throughout the body.  The usual
progression is lesions of calcified skin in the flexor areas, angioid streaks
(calcificaiton) of the membrane behind the retina (Bruch's), gastro bleeding
due to calcified arteries, intermitent claudication due to calc. arteries and
hypertension, stroke and heart attack.  This is a slow progression and the
heart invovement is not usually seen until the 5th or 6th decade of life.

She is 33 yrs old, first pregnancy.  She had many tests which ruled out any
calcification of her arteries before becoming pregnant.  She is due
mid-Septmeber.  In the past few days she has high blood pressure, blurry
vision (a scary event in a PXE patients life - legal blindness is extremely
common by age 40 ro 50 due to bleeding in the retina) and dizzyness; anytime
she stands for more than 45 minutes.  Her doctor said it is not preeclampsia
or toxemia, and is not PXE related.  Her fear is for her vision - increased
pressure can cause the bleeding that leads to central vision loss.  She is
wondering if this sort of high blood pressure is somewhat common in non-PXE
pregancies?  If she stays lying down, the pressure returns to normal.  She
wonders what is causing the pressure increase?

I have searched the lit. for PXE and pregnancy and it indicates that PXE does
not pose any special problems to pregnant women.

I also wonder what the lit. says about the demand for calcium on the body
during lactation.  That may in fact prevent escalation of the disease during
her months/years of nursing - hum, I wonder...

Anyone with any info on blood pressure?  Thanks!

Sharon Terry