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 .
Magnesium supplement in pregnancy‐induced hypertension
The placenta and the umbilical cord obtained from 18 women with pregnancy‐induced hypertension were investigated by light microscopy . The umbilical artery was studied by electron microscopy . 10 placentae and umbilical cords from normal pregnancies served as controls . The study was performed as a double‐blind r and omized controlled study in which 11 women were allocated to magnesium and 7 to placebo treatment . The treatment comprised a 48‐hour intravenous magnesium/placebo infusion followed by daily oral magnesium/placebo intake until one day after delivery . Magnesium supplement  increased birth weight and placental weight significantly . Light microscopic study of the placentae and the umbilical cord arteries showed no difference between the three groups concerning the occurrence of infa rct ions , cytotrophoblastic hyperplasia , vasculo‐syncytial membranes , basement membrane thickening , stromal fibrosis or intervillous fibrin . Ultrastructurally , the endothelial cells of the umbilical arteries from women with pregnancy‐induced hypertension showed a significant increase in the amount of dilated endoplasmatic reticulum and basal laminae thickness when all 18 cases were compared with the controls . There was no significant difference when the magnesium group , the placebo group and the control group were compared separately . The present study suggests that magnesium supplement has a benefical effect on fetal growth in pregnancy‐induced hypertension . With regard to the light and electron microscopic changes we were unable to demonstrate any significant difference between the magnesium , placebo and control groups
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 .