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 .
Randomised controlled comparative study of methyldopa and oxprenolol in treatment of hypertension in pregnancy.
One hundred pregnant women with hypertension ( defined as diastolic blood pressure at or above 95 mm Hg ) were allocated at r and om to treatment with methyldopa or oxprenolol and were compared with nonhypertensive controls matched according to parity and gestation at delivery . The patients were also stratified into those entering the study early ( before 32 weeks ' gestation ) and those entering late ( after 32 weeks ' gestation ) . Although there were no differences in diastolic blood pressure between the hypertensive groups before or during treatment , in the early entry group the systolic blood pressure at entry of those allocated to oxprenolol was significantly higher than that of those receiving methyldopa ; this difference remained throughout the treatment period . Also in the early entry group further increments of drug treatment were required to control blood pressure of patients receiving oxprenolol than in those receiving methyldopa . The eventual fetal outcome for all patients treated with methyldopa was the same as that for those treated with oxprenolol ;  birth weight , placental weight , head circumference , and Apgar score were not significantly different and there were no stillbirths in either group
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 .