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 .
FETAL OUTCOME IN TRIAL OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE TREATMENT IN PREGNANCY
242 women completed a controlled trial of methyldopa ( ' Aldomet ' ) for moderate hypertension in pregnancy . Active treatment was associated with a significantly improved fetal outcome , due in part to a reduced number of mid-pregnancy abortions . There were 9 pregnancy losses in the control group , which included 4 mid-pregnancy abortions , and 1 fetal loss in the treated group . The birthweight and maturity of viable infants were similar in treated and control groups , and a detailed multivariate analysis confirmed that hypotensive treatment had no effect on fetal growth in utero . The better outcome associated with treatment was not due to the prevention of pre-eclampsia , and may be partly due to a direct or indirect effect of methyldopa on uterine activity . Methyldopa is safe to use for the treatment of hypertension in pregnancy in the context of close medical and obstetric supervision
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 .