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Blood pressure is the amount
of force exerted by the blood against the walls of the
arteries. A person's blood pressure is considered high
when the readings are greater than 140 mm Hg systolic
(the top number in the blood pressure reading) or 90 mm
Hg diastolic (the bottom number). In general, high blood
pressure, or hypertension, contributes to the
development of coronary heart disease, stroke, heart
failure and kidney disease.
The effects of
high blood pressure in pregnancy
are that although many pregnant women
with high blood pressure have healthy babies without
serious problems, high blood pressure can be dangerous
for both the mother and the fetus. Women with
pre-existing, or chronic, high blood pressure are more
likely to have certain complications during pregnancy
than those with normal blood pressure. However, some
women develop high blood pressure while they are
pregnant (often called gestational hypertension).
The effects of high blood pressure range from mild to
severe. High blood pressure can harm the mother's
kidneys and other organs, and it can cause low birth
weight and early delivery. In the most serious cases,
the mother develops preeclampsia--or "toxemia of
pregnancy"--which can threaten the lives of both the
mother and the fetus.
Preeclampsia is a
condition that typically starts after the 20th week of
pregnancy and is related to increased blood pressure and
protein in the mother's urine (as a result of kidney
problems). Preeclampsia affects the placenta, and it can
affect the mother's kidney, liver, and brain. When
preeclampsia causes seizures, the condition is known as
eclampsia--the second leading cause of maternal death in
the U.S. Preeclampsia is also a leading cause of fetal
complications, which include low birth weight, premature
birth, and stillbirth.
There is no proven way to
prevent preeclampsia. Most women who develop signs of
preeclampsia, however, are closely monitored to lessen
or avoid related problems. The only way to "cure"
preeclampsia is to deliver the baby.
High blood pressure problems occur in 6 percent to 8
percent of all pregnancies in the U.S., about 70 percent
of which are first-time pregnancies. In 1998, more than
146,320 cases of preeclampsia alone were diagnosed. |
