Pregnancy induced hypertension is a condition where a mother develops high blood pressure in later part of the pregnancy (after 20 weeks of gestation). About a third of mothers who develop hypertension during pregnancy can develop a more sinister condition known as pre-eclampsia.
PIH is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in developed world. It affects the development of fetus resulting in low birth weight babies. It has been found that having hypertension during pregnancy predisposes the mother to pregnancy complications like placental abruption more frequently. Once a mother develops pregnancy induced hypertension, they are at a higher risk of developing chronic hypertension later in life.
Identifying if a mother is having elevated levels of blood pressure is one of the key things done at an antenatal clinic. Once high blood pressures are detected, blood pressure need to be monitored frequently and controlled with appropriate therapy. With these appropriate therapies, healthcare providers try to prevent development of complications and to deliver a healthy appropriately weighing baby as the end result.
Following is a diagnostic work up of a patient detected of having high blood pressure during pregnancy.
Posted in: Endocrine Diseases,Hypertension,PIH,Pregnancy
