Pre-eclampsia is a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication that results in approximately 46 000 maternal deaths and around 500 000 foetal or newborn deaths according to The World Health Organization . Characterised by high blood pressure and signs of damage to organs, liver and kidneys, pre-eclampsia typically arises after the 20th week of pregnancy and, if left untreated, can lead to serious, even fatal, complications for both mother and baby. Even though the exact cause of pre-eclampsia remains unknown, it is believed to stem from abnormal development of blood vessels in the placenta. Common symptoms may include elevated blood pressure (140/90 mmHG or higher on more than two occasions), protein in the urine (more than 300 mg per 24 hours), severe headaches, blurred vision, sudden weight gain (1-2kg/week), vomiting and swelling of the hands and face.

Routine monitoring of blood pressure during pregnancy is essential, as early detection is key to managing the condition effectively, according to Lizeth Kruger, Clinic Executive at Dis-Chem, who is calling on all pregnant women to stay alert to the signs.

“Pre-eclampsia doesn’t always announce itself loudly, but the consequences of missing it can be fatal,” she warns. “Understanding what to look out for and seeking medical care early can save lives.” As part of a commitment to preventative care and maternal wellbeing, Kruger is raising awareness about pre-eclampsia and equipping expectant mothers with the knowledge needed to protect their health and that of their babies. Below, Kruger outlines the range of complications that can arise when the condition is left unchecked and why proactive care makes all the difference.

Maternal complications of pre-eclampsia

Often developing silently, pre-eclampsia can have devastating effects if left untreated or poorly controlled. Maternal complications include the following:

•      Seizures (Eclampsia):
  The most severe form of pre-eclampsia, eclampsia is marked by seizures not linked to other neurological conditions. Caused by high blood pressure affecting the brain, seizures can lead to unconsciousness or coma. It requires immediate stabilisation, emergency delivery, and intensive care. Though rare in developed systems, eclampsia remains a global cause of maternal death.
•      Stroke:
  Pre-eclampsia’s high blood pressure significantly raises stroke risk during pregnancy, especially haemorrhagic stroke. This can lead to brain damage, paralysis, or death. Even with treatment, strokes may cause lasting disabilities, highlighting the importance of blood pressure control.
•      Kidney failure:
  High blood pressure and reduced blood flow in pre-eclampsia can impair kidney function, causing acute injury. This may result in waste buildup, reduced urine, and swelling. Severe cases may need dialysis. Kidney function often improves post-delivery, but lasting damage is possible.

•      Liver damage:
  Pre-eclampsia can inflame the liver, potentially leading to liver haematoma or rupture both emergencies with high mortality risk. Symptoms like upper abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting require urgent evaluation.

•      HELLP Syndrome (Haemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets):
  A life-threatening complication, HELLP affects the blood and liver, marked by red cell destruction, liver dysfunction, and low platelets. Symptoms can mimic other conditions, complicating diagnosis. Without quick treatment, HELLP can cause liver rupture, bleeding, stroke, or death.
•      Postpartum pre-eclampsia:
  This can develop after delivery, typically within 48 hours, but up to six weeks post-birth. Symptoms include headache, vision changes, abdominal pain, and swelling. It carries the same risks as prenatal pre-eclampsia, including seizures and stroke. Early recognition and urgent care are vital.

Foetal complications of pre-eclampsia

As much as people may think that pre-eclampsia is only dangerous to the mother, this also greatly affects the baby. Pre-eclampsia not only puts the mother at risk but also significantly compromises foetal health and development. One of the key challenges with this condition is its impact on placental function, which is crucial for delivering oxygen and nutrients to the developing baby. When blood flow to the placenta is reduced, as is often the case with pre-eclampsia, the baby may face a range of serious health complications mentioned below.

•      Premature birth:
  Pre-eclampsia is a major cause of medically indicated preterm birth, often prompting doctors to recommend early delivery to safeguard the health of the mother or baby if the condition deteriorates. This can occur before 37 weeks of gestation and, in more severe cases, even before 34 weeks. Babies born prematurely face an increased risk of complications such as respiratory distress syndrome due to underdeveloped lungs, feeding difficulties, problems maintaining body temperature, infections, and potential long-term developmental delays or disabilities.

These infants often require intensive care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for days or weeks after birth.

•      Low birth weight:
  Restricted placental blood flow can result in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), a condition in which the baby does not grow at the expected rate during pregnancy. This is commonly seen in babies born to mothers with pre-eclampsia, who often weigh less than 2,5 kilograms at birth. Low birth weight is linked to a range of health challenges, including difficulty feeding and gaining weight, low blood sugar levels, problems maintaining body temperature, and compromised immune function.

These infants face an increased risk of developing chronic conditions later in life, such as diabetes and heart disease. Babies with low birth weight may require specialised care and extended hospital stays after birth.

•      Placental abruption:
  Placental abruption is a rare but highly dangerous complication of pre-eclampsia, characterised by the premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall. Since the placenta is responsible for delivering oxygen and nutrients to the foetus, this separation severely disrupts the baby’s supply of both. As a result, the condition can lead to several serious outcomes, including severe uterine pain accompanied by signs of foetal distress or a noticeable absence of foetal movement, and the risk of preterm birth. In the most severe cases, placental abruption can result in stillbirth.

“Pre-eclampsia may be a complex condition, but with consistent prenatal care, early detection, and the right medical support, we can significantly reduce its serious risks. I always urge expectant mothers to attend every checkup, speak up about any unusual symptoms, and prioritise a healthy lifestyle,” said Lizeth Kruger

As with every new version of Windows Server, dozens of innovations have been added to the operating system’s capabilities. Focus on 3 major changes of the Window Server 2025 edition that are sure to appeal to the most demanding CIOs.

– In partnership with Microsoft

The new Windows Server has arrived! Officially available since November 2024, the new version of Microsoft’s server operating system brings its share of new features that aim to strengthen security, improve performance and offer more agility in increasingly hybrid environments.

Hotpatching for more security and availability

One of the most anticipated new features in Windows Server 2025 is the expansion of the hot update capability. Windows Server Datacenter Azure Edition users have been taking advantage of this functionality for several years. Hotpatching is now coming in the Standard and Datacenter versions, for physical and virtual machines, deployed on-premises or in a multi-cloud environment. The activation of the service will have to be done through the Azure Arc agent.

What is hotpatching? It is the ability to apply Windows Server security updates without having to restart the machine; therefore, without interruption of service. This has two important advantages for the organisation. First, enhanced security with gaps that can now be closed much faster, and second, a reduction in business impact. For organisations whose operations depend on one or more critical applications running 24/7, even the slightest minute of downtime can have an impact on the business.

With the previous version of Windows Server, the server had to be restarted at least once a month to apply Microsoft’s monthly security patches. In 2025, this will only be required once a quarter, reducing the number of reboots from 12 times a year to just 4.

GPUs exploited to the max

More and more applications are using AI capabilities, and more specifically Generative AI. To run them efficiently, companies are turning to servers equipped with GPU accelerators, such as Dell PowerEdge AI servers. But this equipment comes at a cost, so IT teams are looking to optimise their use as much as possible.

Windows Server 2025 addresses this issue with GPU partitioning functionality.

 GPU partitioning in Windows Server 2025 allows you to share a physical GPU device among multiple virtual machines (VMs). Each VM gets a dedicated fraction of the GPU, rather than the entire GPU.

Imagine you have a server running Windows Server 2025 with a powerful GPU installed. You want to run multiple virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments on this server. Instead of assigning the entire GPU to one VM, you can partition the GPU into smaller segments and assign each segment to different VMs. This way, each VM gets the necessary GPU resources to run graphics-heavy applications like Microsoft Office and visualisation tools.

Windows Server 2025 supports live migration and failover clustering, ensuring high availability and reliability for mission-critical applications.

Active Directory: Performance, scalability, and security

The reference directory in companies is getting a new lease of life with Windows Server 2025. While it had changed little in recent years, Active Directory benefits this time from many new features.

Starting with its architecture, the database is now based on 32k pages instead of 8k. In practical terms, this means that each AD object will be able to store more values and attributes, ensuring greater scalability, especially within large organisations.

Another new feature is that Active Directory is now compatible with the NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access) architecture, which means that it is able to take advantage of all CPUs, in all CPU groups, and not just in group 0.

Also of note is the appearance of a new service account: the Delegate Managed Services Account, or DMSA. This new delegated service account benefits from automatic password management and access to multiple servers as well as random keys and password storage directly in the AD, never locally. Effectively, an additional guarantee of security for companies.

Dell and Microsoft, together towards the modern data centre

It is impossible to list all the new features of Windows Server 2025 here. You can find a more complete overview on the Microsoft website. You can also upgrade to Dell PowerEdge servers with Windows Server 2025 or upgrade your compatible machines, a list of which can be found here. Of course, Dell and Microsoft teams are working together on next-generation solutions for your data centres. I invite you to stay tuned for our next announcements!