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 .
Propranolol in pregnancy three year prospective study.
We compared propranolol with methyldopa in a r and omized prospect i ve study of 28 women with pregnancy associated hypertension . Both drugs were equally effective in controlling maternal hypertension . There was no significant difference in the birthweights of the babies in each group . However one infant born to a mother receiving propranolol had symptomatic hypoglycaemia . The mean peak levels of propranolol , propranolol glucuronide , 4-hydroxypropranolol , and 4-hydroxypropranolol glucuronide were not significantly different in the first , second , third trimesters and at least 3 months post partum . The mean peak plasma level of naphthoxylactic acid however was significantly less in the third trimester compared with post partum levels . Propranolol and its metabolites were found to cross into breast milk with the maximum dose likely to be ingested by the infant as either propranolol or propranolol glucuronide being 7 micrograms of propranolol per 100 g of breast milk , being approximately 0.1 % of the maternal dose
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 .