Hydralazine was the most common drug for others to be evaluated against .
Diazoxide , given as 75 mg bolus injections , appears to be associated with maternal hypotension requiring treatment , and ketanserin is less effective than hydralazine at reducing blood pressure .
There is no other clear evidence that any one of the other antihypertensive agents is better than another for women with severe hypertension during pregnancy .
Exceptions are diazoxide and ketanserin , which are probably not good choices
BACKGROUND Very high blood pressure during pregnancy poses a serious threat to women and their babies .
The use of drugs to lower blood pressure will reduce this risk for the women , and possibly also for the baby .
OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to compare different antihypertensive drugs used for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy .
Antihypertensive Drug Effects on Placental Flow Velocity Waveforms in Pregnant Women with Severe Hypertension
Summary : Doppler studies of the uterine and umbilical arteries were performed in 24 acutely hypertensive pregnant women . Women were divided into 2 groups : Group 1 ( diastolic blood pressure (DBP)>110 mm Hg ) received placebo ( n = 6 ) or 10 mg oral nifedipine ( n = 9 ) ; Group 2 ( DBP ≥ 110 mm Hg ) received 10 mg oral nifedipine ( n = 5 ) or 10 mg intravenous hydralazine ( n = 4 ) . Treatment allocations were r and om within groups and the investigator and patient were blind to the treatments . Baseline flow velocity waveforms ( FVW ) and posttreatment FVW 's at 30 , 60 and 120 minutes were recorded . There was no significant difference between baseline and posttreatment FVW indices within or between groups . Placebo was as effective as nifedipine in lowering blood pressure over 2 hours of study . There were no significant adverse effects of treatment
Hydralazine was the most common drug for others to be evaluated against .
Diazoxide , given as 75 mg bolus injections , appears to be associated with maternal hypotension requiring treatment , and ketanserin is less effective than hydralazine at reducing blood pressure .
There is no other clear evidence that any one of the other antihypertensive agents is better than another for women with severe hypertension during pregnancy .
Exceptions are diazoxide and ketanserin , which are probably not good choices
BACKGROUND Very high blood pressure during pregnancy poses a serious threat to women and their babies .
The use of drugs to lower blood pressure will reduce this risk for the women , and possibly also for the baby .
OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to compare different antihypertensive drugs used for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy .