title: Neonatal outcome in infants of chronically hypertensive mothers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the neonatal outcome in chronically hypertensive patients with controlled hypertension, uncontrollable hypertension, or superimposed pre-eclampsia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 120 patients who had chronic hypertension and were divided into three groups for which the perinatal and neonatal outcomes were retrospectively compared: pre-eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension (SP: n = 28), chronic hypertension with severe hypertension uncontrolled in spite of intravenous or multiple oral antihypertensive medications in the latter half of pregnancy (uCH: n = 44), and chronic hypertension with controlled to mild hypertension with or without medication (cCH: n = 48).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preterm birth rate incidence was significantly higher in the SP and uCH groups than in the cCH group (P < 0.05 for both). The incidence rates of low birthweight, very low birthweight, and extremely low birthweight for the groups were as follows: SP > uCH > cCH. Admission to the neonatal intensive care unit was significantly higher in the uCH and SP groups than in the cCH group (P < 0.05 for both).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Like superimposed pre-eclampsia, uncontrolled chronic severe hypertension during late pregnancy results in a poorer neonatal outcome than controlled chronic mild hypertension. We conclude that absolute blood pressure can be used as a predictor of clinical outcome in pregnant chronic hypertension patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Kawagoe-shi, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Kenjiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Koki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Samejima
authors.forename: Shigetaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
authors.forename: Hideyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult