REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS It remains unclear whether antihypertensive drug therapy for mild-moderate hypertension during pregnancy is worthwhile
BACKGROUND Mild-moderate hypertension during pregnancy is common .
Antihypertensive drugs are often used in the belief that lowering blood pressure will prevent progression to more severe disease , and thereby improve outcome .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of antihypertensive drug treatments for women with mild to moderate hypertension during pregnancy .
Methyldopa versus no drug treatment in the management of mild pre-eclampsia.
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy of methyldopa in the treatment of mild pre-eclampsia , to prevent its progress and to investigate its effect on the pregnancy outcomes . DESIGN S R and omised clinical trial . SETTING Wad Medani Hospital in the central Sudan . SUBJECTS Seventy primigravidae with single , alive baby of 28 - 36 weeks gestational age suffering from true mild pre-eclampsia were enrolled . The patients were r and omised in two groups , treatment group who received methyldopa 750 - 4000 mg/day ( n=34 ) and a control group who received no treatment ( n=36 ) . All the ( treatment and control ) patients were drug followed as in- patients till the delivery , seen with their babies on the days 7 , 42 after the delivery . MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES The outcomes examined were , rise of the diastolic blood pressure to 110 mm Hg or more , occurrence of imminent eclampsia or the eclampsia , if the maturity could be achieved , occurrence of intrauterine growth retardation , abruptio placentae , mode of delivery , birth weight , placental weight , perinatal death , Apgar score and referral of the babies to the pediatrician . RESULTS Three out of 34 ( 8.8 % ) of the treatment group had a rise in the diastolic blood pressure of 110 mm Hg , 18/36 ( 50 % ) of the control had a rise in the diastolic blood pressure of 110 mmHg ( p < 0.05 ) . Three out of thirty four ( 8.8 % ) of the treatment group developed imminent eclampsia , while 10/36 ( 27.8 ) of the control group developed imminent eclampsia ( p < 0.05 ) . The maturity was achieved in 82.3 % and 88.8 % of the treatment and the control , respectively ( p > 0.05 ) . There were ten ( 14.2 % ) perinatal deaths , four of them in the treatment group , while six in the control ( p > 0.05 ) . There was no difference regarding birth weight , occurrence of intrauterine growth retardation , placental weight , mode of delivery , Apgar score , referral of the babies to the paediatrician . No patient developed eclampsia or abruptio placenta ; there was no maternal death in both groups . CONCLUSION Methyldopa can prevent the progress of the mild pre-eclampsia to severe pre-eclampsia , without affecting the maturity , birthweight or the neonatal outcomes
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS It remains unclear whether antihypertensive drug therapy for mild-moderate hypertension during pregnancy is worthwhile
BACKGROUND Mild-moderate hypertension during pregnancy is common .
Antihypertensive drugs are often used in the belief that lowering blood pressure will prevent progression to more severe disease , and thereby improve outcome .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of antihypertensive drug treatments for women with mild to moderate hypertension during pregnancy .