Pregnancy complicated by severe chronic hypertension: a 10-year analysis from a developing country.
OBJECTIVE
To assess pregnancy outcome in patients with severe chronic hypertension.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of a 10-year period (1995-2004) in a referral hospital in northern India. The outcome was compared with those women with mild chronic hypertension who registered in the hypertensive disorders with pregnancy clinic immediately before and after each woman with severe chronic hypertension.


RESULTS
Hospital data identified 25 such women. Superimposed preeclampsia (36.4% versus 8%), preterm delivery (86.4% versus 42%), and perinatal mortality (27.2% versus none) were increased in patients with severe chronic hypertension as compared to those with mild hypertension.


CONCLUSIONS
The small number of cases reflects the lack of antenatal supervision in developing countries. A much larger number of women are referred in the third trimester with eclampsia or severe preeclampsia, at which time it is not possible to identify whether or not they had underlying hypertension. Adverse events were found to occur more often in patients with severe chronic hypertension compared with those with mild hypertension.
Bagga
R
R
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Sector 12. Chandigarh, India. rashmibagga@gmail.com
Aggarwal
N
N
Chopra
V
V
Saha
S C
SC
Prasad
G R V
GR
Dhaliwal
L K
LK
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012107:Research Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index