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 .
24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: a comparison between transdermal glyceryl-trinitrate and oral nifedipine.
The objective of the present study is to compare the effectiveness of transdermal glyceryl-trinitrate versus oral nifedipine in lowering blood pressure in patients affected by pregnancy-induced hypertension ( PIH ) . Thirty-six consecutive pregnant women have been evaluated at different gestational ages after the diagnosis of PIH or preeclampsia ( PE ) . After a 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring , patients were allocated to three groups : those receiving oral nifedipine and those receiving transdermal glyceryl-trinitrate in a continuous ( 24 h/day ) or intermittent ( 16 h/day ) administration . A second blood pressure monitoring was performed after 2 weeks of treatment . Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were compared by using the Cosinor method looking at mesor , amplitude , and acrophase . Baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure was similar among the three groups . Neither the transdermal glyceryl-trinitrate administered for 24 or 16 h nor oral nifedipine affected systolic and diastolic blood pressure . Analysis of variance showed that the posttreatment values were similar among the groups . Further studies are needed to verify the possible use of transdermal glyceryl-trinitrate as an antihypertensive drug during pregnancy
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 .