title: Blood pressure rises more in pre-eclampsia than normal pregnancy when acral skin is locally cooled.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Investigate blood pressure response to acral skin vasoconstriction in healthy and pre-eclamptic pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy women were investigated from gestational week 8 to 52 weeks postpartum and pre-eclampsia subjects at diagnosis. Finger artery ultrasound Doppler, forearm laser Doppler fluximetry and photoplethysmographic blood pressure were recorded. Hand cooling to 19 °C induced vasoconstriction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acral skin vasoconstriction increases blood pressure from 16 weeks until 12 weeks postpartum (p ≤ 0.01), with greatest responses in pre-eclampsia (p=0.047). Forearm skin perfusion is higher in pre-eclampsia (p=0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acral skin vasoconstriction raises blood pressure in pregnancy, particularly in pre-eclampsia. Pregnancy accentuates important functional differences within skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oslo University Hospital , Oslo , Norway .
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Hartgill
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pirhonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D014655:Vascular Resistance; D014661:Vasoconstriction; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000503:physiopathology