The number of individuals in the U.S. who had chronic hypertension or chronic high blood pressure during pregnancy doubled between 2008 and 2021, while the prescribing and filling of antihypertensive medication during pregnancy remained low but stable at 60%, according to new research published today in Hypertension , a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.
Chronic hypertension in pregnancy is defined as high blood pressure diagnosed before pregnancy or before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Recent research has suggested that medication treatment of mild or moderate high blood pressure during pregnancy reduces the risk of severe hypertension and preeclampsia. Preeclampsia typically begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy, can cause liver or kidney damage, and may double a woman's chances for future heart failure and other cardiovascular complications.
In 2017, clinical guideline from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology revised the thresholds to diagnose high blood pressure from 140/90 mm Hg to 130/80 mm Hg for stage 1, and from 160/110 mm Hg to 140/90 mm Hg for stage 2 hypertension. The guideline recommends medication treatment for non-pregnant adults with stage 2 high blood pressure; for stage 1 high blood pressure in individuals with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, or kidney disease; and for stage 1 high blood pressure in individuals with established cardiovascular disease or without cardiovascular disease but with an estimated 10% or highe.