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Action on Pre-eclampsia (APEC) is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of pre-eclampsia among the public and health professionals. Pre-eclampsia is a disease of pregnancy, which affects 5-10% of pregnancies and causes the deaths of around 1,000 babies and 4 women in the UK each year. Pre-eclampsia is not preventable and cannot be cured, but needs to be managed carefully and monitored. Tragically the majority of these maternal deaths have been found to be due to substandard care given by health care professionals. APEC believes that this is unacceptable and campaigns for greater awareness of pre-eclampsia. We run regular training days for midwives and others who care for pregnant women as part of our campaigning work. Those affected by pre-eclampsia are often left with little understanding of what has happened to them and why. The disease can strike quickly and severely, leading to medical emergencies and communications can be poor. APEC provides a helpline to answer questions, offer support and guide people to other sources of information. We support around 1,500 people each year.

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