Kim Kardashian reportedly suffered from pre-eclampsia before giving birth to her baby daughter

Kim Kardashian was reportedly forced to deliver her baby five weeks early amid fears she had the life-threatening condition pre-eclampsia.

When the 32-year-old reality star gave birth to her daughter in the early hours of Saturday morning, she took the celebrity world by surprise as it had previously been claimed that she was due in July.

It has since been reported that Kim was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on Friday night.

Kim was diagnosed with high-blood pressure and the unborn baby was in distress, according to Us Weekly, forcing the first-time mother to go in to labour early.

Pre-eclampsia is a potentially life-threatening condition that can affect some pregnant and post-natal mothers and can cause growth problems in unborn babies.

It is thought to be caused by problems in the placenta and its symptoms include high blood pressure, fluid retention and protein in the urine.

[Jennifer Lopez explains why she loved her post-pregnancy 'jiggly belly']

[Not too posh to push: Why Kate Middleton is determined to have a natural birth]

The only cure for the condition is to deliver the baby which, in the case of Kim, meant inducing labour early.

According to the NHS, mild pre-eclampsia (which can be monitored and treated) affects up to 10 per cent of first-time pregnancies, compared to severe which only affects 1-2 per cent.

If you have pre-eclampsia during your first pregnancy then you are more likely to suffer from it in subsequent pregnancies.

The fatal results of pre-eclampsia were dramatised in the ITV1 series "Downton Abbey" last year, when Lady Sibyl Crawley suffered from the condition.

These days however the odds are very much in the mother's favour with only 1% of women with pre-eclampsia developing the seizure-inducing eclampsia.

Kim gave birth to her daughter five weeks early on Saturday morning and it has been reported that the two will stay in hospital until Baby Kimye weighs 5 lbs.

She only gave birth last week but the reality star is already looking to get back into her pre-baby shape.

Hospital food is notoriously rubbish but a determined Kim has apparently banned any well-wishers from bringing her sweet treats in a very early attempt to get back into shape.

"She has over 30 bouquets from loved ones," a source told Us Weekly. "She told everyone not to bring sweets – she said she doesn’t need any temptations."

This is Kim's first baby with partner Kanye West, who has already written four songs about their bundle of joy.

Baby Kimye's name has not been released yet but a loose-lipped nurse at the hospital in LA where she was born may have let the closely guarded moniker slip.

Kim and Kanye have apparently kept with the Kardashian tradition and named their daughter Kaidence Donda, her middle name in respect to Kanye's late mother Dr Donda West who passed away in 2007.

For more information on the risks of pre-eclampsia, visit NHS Choices.