[Hypertension during pregnancy: the challenge continues]

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy affect approximately from 5 to 10 % of all pregnant women, and are the main contributors of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. This group of disorders includes chronic hypertension, as well as the conditions that arise de novo in pregnancy: gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. This last group is believed to be part of the same continuum, but with arbitrary division. Research on the etiology of hypertension in pregnancy largely have focused on preeclampsia, with a majority of studies that explore any factor associated with pregnancy, e.g., the answers derived from the placenta or immunological reactions to tissue from the pregnancy or maternal constitutional factors, such as cardiovascular health and endothelial dysfunction. The basic foundations for the pathophysiology and progression of hypertensive pregnancy disorders, particularly preeclampsia, are reviewed in this paper. Therapeutic options for the treatment of preeclampsia are also explored.