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 .
Treatment of hypertension during pregnancy with hydralazine monotherapy or with combined therapy with hydralazine and pindolol.
Forty-four consecutive patients referred for treatment because of hypertension ( greater than 150/90 mmHg ) occurring during pregnancy were r and omly allocated to one of two treatment groups , hydralazine alone ( n = 21 ) or hydralazine combined with pindolol ( n = 23 ) . Satisfactory blood pressure control ( diastolic pressure less than 90 mmHg ) was achieved in 86 % of patients receiving hydralazine alone and 91 % of those on combined therapy . Although the treatment did not lower the overall incidence of hypertensive complications it appeared to delay the onset of such complications until successful surgical intervention was possible . Fetal outcome was similar in both groups and there was no perinatal mortality in this high-risk population . Although blood pressure control was similar in both groups of patients , combined therapy with hydralazine and pindolol can be considered to be superior to hydralazine monotherapy , since in patients treated with the combination the incidence and intensity of troublesome side-effects was markedly lower
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 .