Page 16 - OB Risks - Delivering the Goods (Part Two)

SVMIC Obstetrics Risks: Delivering the Goods

Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is a major cause

of maternal, fetal, and newborn morbidity and mortality,
and women with PIH are at 3 to 25 times the risk of severe

pregnancy complications including placental abruption,
disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), renal failure,

pulmonary edema, and aspiration pneumonia. Additionally,
25
fetuses of these mothers are at greater risk of intrauterine

growth retardation, prematurity, and intrauterine death.
26
Unfortunately, despite extensive research, no strategy has been

proven to be unequivocally effective in preventing PIH. It is then,
extremely important to diagnose PIH as early as possible.

PIH is more common during a woman’s first pregnancy and in

women whose mothers or sisters had PIH. The risk of PIH is
higher in women carrying multiple babies, in teenage mothers,

and in women older than 40 years of age. Other women at risk
27
include those who had high blood pressure or kidney disease

before they became pregnant.
28

Delivery of the baby does not “cure” preeclampsia but rather

initiates the process of recovery. Treatment options for
29
preeclampsia may include:

• Medications to lower blood pressure (antihypertensives)

• Corticosteroids

• Anticonvulsant medications

25 https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/hypertensive-disorders-pregnancy
26 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26158653/
27 https://www.mdwise.org/MediaLibraries/MDwise/Files/health%20and%20Wellness/
Pregnancy/what_is_pregnancy_induced_hypertension.pdf
28 https://www.acog.org/patient-resources/faqs/pregnancy/preeclampsia-and-high-blood-
pressure-during-pregnancy
29 Preeclampsia:long term consequences for vascular health; Vacs Health Risk
Manag.2015;11:403-415

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