Dr Laura Benschop, a researcher in
obstetrics and gynecology at Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands,
said, "The problem is
. We aimed to determine how common
it is for women who have pre-eclampsia to have high blood pressure in the year
after pregnancy, by looking at more than just their blood pressure readings in
the doctor's office."
The findings of the study seem to suggest
that women diagnosed with severe preeclampsia during pregnancy have a higher
risk of hypertension post-delivery as well and
.
‘Women diagnosed with preeclampsia should have their blood pressure closely monitored after pregnancy as well due to increased risk of post-pregnancy hypertension.’
"Our findings suggest women who have
high blood pressure during
pregnancy
should continue to monitor their blood pressure long after they've delivered
their babies. It's not only important to monitor blood pressure in the
doctor's office, but also at
different
times of the day and night,
at home,"
Benschop said. "We've shown here that high blood pressure comes in many
forms after pregnancy. Women who know their numbers can take the proper steps
to lower their blood pressure and avoid the health consequences of high blood
pressure later in life."
Possible Limitations of
the Study
The study mainly included highly educated
Caucasian women and thus the findings
may
not be reflective of all races, or income levels.
Revised Guidelines for Diagnosing Hypertension
According to recently released guidelines
by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on
Clinical Practice Guidelines,
high blood
pressure is now defined as systolic readings of 130 mm Hg and higher, or
diastolic blood pressure readings of 80 or more. This is a significant
change from the older values of 140/90 mmHg and higher, indicating that
complications can occur at these lower readings as well.
Preeclampsia In Brief
Preeclampsia (earlier referred to as
toxemia of pregnancy) is a condition that usually occurs after 20 weeks of
pregnancy in a woman who has been previously normal. It is marked by elevated
blood pressure and excretion of increased amounts of protein in the urine. It
can be asymptomatic and if it goes undetected, can result in
serious sometimes fatal complications for both the mother as well as the baby.
References :- Pre-eclampsia - (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pre-eclampsia/)
Source: Medindia
