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 .
Comparison of Magnesium and Methyldopa for the Control of Blood Pressure in Pregnancies Complicated with Hypertension
Objectives : Although magnesium is now the drug of choice for the prevention of eclamptic seizures only few studies have evaluated whether magnesium may reduce blood pressure in pregnancies complicated with hypertension . Methods : A total of 33 patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension were r and omized to either magnesium or methyldopa treatment . Of these 16 received magnesium and 17 methyldopa . The treatment comprised a 48-hour magnesium infusion followed by oral magnesium tablets until 3 days after delivery or 250 mg methyldopa 4 times a day in a similar period . Results : Patients treated with magnesium had 1 day after inclusion a statistically significantly lower systolic blood pressure compared to the level in the methyldopa group ( 138.1 ± 11 vs. 147.6 ± 11 mm Hg ; p < 0.05 ) , but no difference was observed in diastolic blood pressure ( 92.0 ± 6.6 vs. 96.0 ± 10.1 mm Hg ; NS ) . From the 5th day of inclusion and until delivery both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower in the magnesium group ( p < 0.05 ) . Including all blood pressure measurements in a single analysis showed that both systolic ( 138 ± 13 vs. 148 ± 15 mm Hg ; p < 0.0001 ) and diastolic ( 92 ± 10 vs. 94 ± 10 mm Hg ; p < 0.05 ) blood pressure were lower in the magnesium group compared to the methyldopa group . There was no difference between the two groups regarding gestational age at delivery , birth weight , Apgar scores and pH in umbilical cord blood . Conclusion : This preliminary study demonstrates that magnesium treatment lowers blood pressure in pregnancies complicated with hypertension . The effect is without any adverse effect on maternal and neonatal well-being
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 .