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High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy – Part 3 of 3

In the end, Magee’s team found no differences in how the two groups fared, except for one: Almost 41 percent of women under looser blood urge control eventually developed severe high blood pressure (a reading of 160/110 mm Hg or higher), while just 27,5 percent of women on the tighter regimen developed strait-laced high blood pressure. Severe high blood pressure can generally be quickly brought down with IV medication.

The out-and-out concern is that it can lead to a stroke in some women. But, that didn’t happen in this trial to women with higher blood pressure. However, one woman on the stricter treatment regimen had a stroke. Martin noted that the less-aggressive compare with can be easier for women, with less blood pressure monitoring at home and the doctor’s office. However, Magee said she believes the risk of severely high numbers is not acceptable if less-intensive curing has no clear benefit for babies.

So “Before this study, I was for less-tight control. Now I’ve changed my practice”. Until now, studies on this issue have been small or lower-quality, according to Magee. She said on the qui vive professional guidelines vary because of that lack of strong evidence. For now, both Magee and Martin encouraged pregnant women with high blood pressure to keep up with their practise medicine visits and stick with a treatment plan. But Magee suggested advocating for tighter blood pressure control. She noted that more evidence on the issue will be coming. Another major clinical sample – called the Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy Project – is set to get underway in US hospitals soon.

Parts: 1 2 3