Beta-blockers appear to be no more effective and probably equally as safe .
It is unusual for women to change drugs due to side effects .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Improvement in control of maternal blood pressure with use of beta-blockers would be worthwhile only if it were reflected in substantive benefits for mother and /or baby , and none have been clearly demonstrated .
Large r and omised trials are needed to determine whether antihypertensive therapy in general ( rather than beta-blocker therapy specifically ) results in greater benefit than risk , for treatment of mild-moderate pregnancy hypertension .
BACKGROUND Antihypertensives , such as beta-blockers , are used for pregnancy hypertension in the belief these will improve outcome for mother and baby .
OBJECTIVES To assess whether oral beta-blockers are better than placebo , or no beta-blocker , and have advantages over other antihypertensives , for women with mild to moderate pregnancy hypertension .
A comparison of labetalol plus hospitalization versus hospitalization alone in the management of preeclampsia remote from term.
Two hundred primigravid women with mild preeclampsia at 26 - 35 weeks ' gestation were r and omly allocated to treatment with hospitalization alone or combined with labetalol . There were no differences between the two groups in mean systolic or diastolic pressures , mean gestational age , or initial laboratory findings at time of entry . Patients in the labetalol group demonstrated a statistically significant ( P less than .005 ) decrease in blood pressure during treatment . No such decrease occurred in the hospitalization-alone group . Both groups exhibited significant deterioration in proteinuria , creatinine , and uric acid . The average days of pregnancy prolongation ( mean + /- SD ) were 21.3 + /- 13 and 20.1 + /- 14 days in the hospitalization and labetalol groups , respectively . There were no differences between the groups regarding any of the following : gestational age at delivery , birth weight , number of infants admitted to the special care unit , or cord blood gas measurements . However , the incidence of small-for-gestational-age infants was significantly higher in the labetalol group ( 19 versus 9 % , P less than .05 ) . There were no stillbirths , but one neonatal death in the labetalol group . Treatment of maternal blood pressure in preeclamptic pregnancies with labetalol  did not improve perinatal outcome , and was associated with a higher frequency of fetal growth retardation
Beta-blockers appear to be no more effective and probably equally as safe .
It is unusual for women to change drugs due to side effects .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Improvement in control of maternal blood pressure with use of beta-blockers would be worthwhile only if it were reflected in substantive benefits for mother and /or baby , and none have been clearly demonstrated .
Large r and omised trials are needed to determine whether antihypertensive therapy in general ( rather than beta-blocker therapy specifically ) results in greater benefit than risk , for treatment of mild-moderate pregnancy hypertension .
BACKGROUND Antihypertensives , such as beta-blockers , are used for pregnancy hypertension in the belief these will improve outcome for mother and baby .
OBJECTIVES To assess whether oral beta-blockers are better than placebo , or no beta-blocker , and have advantages over other antihypertensives , for women with mild to moderate pregnancy hypertension .