Preventing pregnancy-induced hypertension: are there regional differences for this global problem?
Developing countries have had persistently higher rates of maternal and child mortality due to pre-eclampsia in comparison with developed countries. Moreover, evidence from studies of interventions to prevent pre-eclampsia have given contradictory results. In this review, we discuss the underlying causes of pre-eclampsia, and the results of clinical trials performed to prevent this disease, that support the proposal that the causes and strategies to prevent pre-eclampsia are different in developed and developing countries. We also suggest that the establishment of an adequate prenatal care is the only effective way to reduce the incidence of pre-eclampsia in populations from developing countries, especially in women at high risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension.
López-Jaramillo
Patricio
P
VILANO GROUP, Research Institute, Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia, Floridablanca, Santander, Colombia. jplopezj@fcv.org
García
Ronald G
RG
López
Marcos
M
D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012307:Risk Factors