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 .
Effect of calcium channel blocker nifedipine on uterine artery flow velocity waveforms.
Calcium channel blockers have been used successfully in the treatment of pregnancy hypertension and premature labor . Only limited information related to their effect on uterine blood flow during pregnancy is available . In this study we measured the ratio between peak systolic to end-diastolic flow velocity ( S/D ratio ) in the ascending branch of the uterine artery in nine pregnant patients prior to and following a 10-mg dose of sublingual nifedipine . Another group of seven matched patients who received a placebo served as a control group . All studies were performed between 17 and 22 weeks gestation . The S/D ratio decreased shortly after sublingual nifedipine , but the change was not significant . It increased gradually afterward so that by 60 minutes it returned to the control value . The mean systolic blood pressure decreased by 8.6 % to its lowest value after 25 minutes ( P less than 0.01 ) . The mean diastolic blood pressure decreased by 15.7 % to its lowest value after 35 minutes ( P less than 0.002 ) . Maternal heart rate did not change significantly . No significant changes were observed in any of the measured variables in the placebo group . In conclusion , nifedipine does not induce significant changes in uterine arterial resistance in midtrimester and may be considered during pregnancy , providing that large fluctuations in maternal blood pressure are avoided
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 .