title: Blood pressure and heart rate variability complexity analysis in pregnant women with hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this work, we perform a comparative analysis of blood pressure and heart rate variability complexity during pregnancy between normal, hypertensive, and preeclamptic women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 563 short electrocardiographic (10 min) records were obtained from 217 pregnant women (135 normal, 55 hypertensive, and 27 preeclamptic) during several gestational ages in sitting position. We used a mixed unbalanced model for the longitudinal statistical analysis and besides the conventional spectral analysis, we applied Lempel-Ziv complexity, sample entropy, approximated entropy, and detrended fluctuation analysis in the complexity measurement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The obtained results revealed significant differences between pathological and normal states with important considerations related to pregnancy adaptability and evolution as well as the relationship of complexity and blood pressure with factors such as maternal age, familial history of diabetes or hypertension, and parity.
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. edutp00@yahoo.com
authors: Eduardo
authors: E
authors: Tejera
authors: Maria Jose
authors: MJ
authors: Areias
authors: Ana Isabel
authors: AI
authors: Rodrigues
authors: Jose Manuel
authors: JM
authors: Nieto-Villar
authors: Irene
authors: I
authors: Rebelo