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Hypertension in pregnancy
1Department of Medicine, Ostra Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Hypertension in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. At high blood pressure levels, there is a risk of maternal cerebrovascular lesions and death. Probably less than 5% of all pregnancies in western Europe are complicated by elevated blood pressure. Profound haemodynamic and hormonal changes occur during a normal pregnancy. In some respects, pregnancy-induced hypertension can be regarded as a deficient adaptation to the state of pregnancy. The pathogenesis of pregnancy-induced hypertension is not clear, and there is good reason to assume that this is not a homogeneous entity with a simple pathogenetic background. The treatment of hypertension in pregnancy has been a matter of debate, but the treatment of choice in late pregnancy is delivery. In the long-term perspective, women who have had a hypertensive pregnancy run a substantial risk of developing future essential hypertension, and their children have slightly raised blood pressure at an early age.
Hypertension in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality. At high blood pressure levels, there is a risk of maternal cerebrovascular lesions and death. Probably less than 5% of all pregnancies in western Europe are complicated by elevated blood pressure. Profound haemodynamic and hormonal changes occur during a normal pregnancy. In some respects, pregnancy-induced hypertension can be regarded as a deficient adaptation to the state of pregnancy. The pathogenesis of pregnancy-induced hypertension is not clear, and there is good reason to assume that this is not a homogeneous entity with a simple pathogenetic background. The treatment of hypertension in pregnancy has been a matter of debate, but the treatment of choice in late pregnancy is delivery. In the long-term perspective, women who have had a hypertensive pregnancy run a substantial risk of developing future essential hypertension, and their children have slightly raised blood pressure at an early age.