What does toxemia mean?
Toxemia is a medical term referring to poisonous substances being present in the blood. Historically, it was used broadly for conditions described as blood poisoning and could cover several different forms of illness. In modern medicine, its most familiar use is in the phrase “toxemia of pregnancy,” an older name for what is now generally called preeclampsia. This pregnancy-associated condition is characterized by high blood pressure and may involve damage to organs including the kidneys, liver, or nervous system. The word has a dated, technical quality and is not ordinary vocabulary for describing feeling generally unwell. Its historical range also explains why it can sometimes be confused with sepsis or septicemia, which specifically involve infection rather than toxicity in the broader sense. Knowing the term helps readers understand older medical records and discussions of pregnancy complications, while recognizing that modern diagnostic language is more precise.
nounToxemia is the presence or accumulation of poisonous substances in the blood. In modern obstetric usage, the term most often refers to the pregnancy disorder formerly called toxemia of pregnancy and now generally known as preeclampsia.
- The pregnancy disorder formerly called toxemia of pregnancy, now generally termed preeclampsia, involving elevated blood pressure and possible dysfunction of organs such as the kidneys, liver, or nervous system.
- The presence or accumulation of toxic or poisonous substances in the blood, formerly used as a broad medical designation for blood poisoning.
"The clinic diagnosed her with pregnancy toxemia and monitored both mother and fetus closely."
"Her rising blood pressure and protein in her urine led doctors to diagnose pregnancy toxemia."
"In older medical writing, toxemia referred more broadly to the presence of poisonous substances in the bloodstream."
Rare; toxemia is ordinarily used as a mass noun in medical writing, but the plural is grammatically possible when referring to separate cases or forms of the condition.
"The medical literature has described toxemias arising from both pregnancy and bacterial products."
Toxemia literally means “poisoned blood,” a blunt but memorable name for a family of conditions that medicine now defines more precisely.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does toxemia come from?
Toxemia combines the root of toxic, derived from Greek toxikon, meaning “poison,” with -emia, from Greek haima, meaning “blood.” The compound belongs to the medical vocabulary formed from Greek elements during the early development of modern medicine. Its relatives toxin, toxic, and toxicity all continue to express the same Greek root idea of poison or poisonous substances.
Related word forms
How toxemia is actually used
This is a formal medical term. It has largely fallen out of general use as a catchall for blood poisoning, but it remains familiar in the older expression toxemia of pregnancy. The spelling “toxaemia” is common in British medical usage.
Easily confused with toxemia
Septicemia, now generally called sepsis, is the condition caused by microorganisms and their products spreading through the blood, whereas toxemia more broadly denotes the presence of poisonous substances in the blood.