Definition of "toxemia" [toxemia]

• A condition in which the blood contains toxins produced by body cells at a local source of infection or derived from the growth of microorganisms. Also called blood poisoning. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Extremely severe pre-eclampsia also known as toxemia; women who had rheumatic fever when children, who hoped to have babies but whose hearts prove unequal to the stress of labor; etc."
• "It became full-blown eclampsia, which we used to call toxemia pregnancy, an extreme case."
• "Pre-eclampsia, which used to be referred to as toxemia, is characterized by high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and fluid retention in the legs, hands, and face."