Chronic hypertension in pregnancy

Women with chronic hypertension who are considering pregnancy should undergo extensive evaluation and work-up prior to conception. This evaluation is important to establish the cause and severity of the hypertension. The patient should be seen early in pregnancy and counseled regarding the possible adverse effects of hypertension and the importance of adherence to prenatal visits and prescribed medications. Patients classified to have high-risk hypertension are at increased risk for significant maternal and perinatal complications. These patients should have intensive antenatal follow-up and will require antihypertensive therapy irrespective of the severity of the hypertension. In contrast, in women with mild uncomplicated hypertension, good perinatal outcome is expected with proper obstetric care, without the use of antihypertensive drugs. Finally, most of the poor perinatal outcome in such pregnancies is related to the development of superimposed preeclampsia.