Hypertension in pregnancy Flashcards
Describe the changes in blood pressure in pregnancy
¥ Blood pressure (BP) proportional to systemic vascular resistance and cardiac output
¥ Pregnancy Vasodilatation
¥ BP falls in early pregnancy
¥ Nadir reached at 22-24 weeks (lowest point)
¥ Steady rise until Term
¥ BP falls after delivery but subsequently rises and peaks at day 3-4 P/N
what is the classification of hypertension in pregnancy?
¥ ≥140/90 mmHg on 2 occasions
¥ Diastolic BP >110 mmHg
¥ ACOG - >30/15 mmHg compared to booking BP
What 3 different ways can hypertension present in pregnancy?
- pre-existing hypertension
- pregnancy induced hypertension
- Pre-eclampsia
Pre-existing hypertension:
- what is this?
- what is important to consider?
- what does this increase the risk of?
This is:
- HTN at booking or <20wks
- HTN >3mths of delivery
Consider:
-secondary causes e.g. renal/cardiac, cushing’s, conn’s, phaeochromocytoma
Risks:
- PET
- IUGR
- Abruption
What is pregnancy induced hypertension?
New hypertension > 20wks without signif. Proteinuria and resolves within 6months of delivery
¥ No proteinuria or other features of pre-eclampsia
¥ Better outcomes than pre-eclampsia
¥ 15% progression to pre-eclampsia - depends on gestation
¥ Rate of recurrence is high
What is pre-eclampsia? what are the three criteria?
This is a pregnancy-specific multi-system disorder with unpredictabl, variable and widespread manifestations
- Hypertension
- Proteinuria (≥0.3g/l or ≥0.3g/24h)
- Oedema
what is the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia?
¥ Genetic predisposition
¥ Stage 1 - abnormal placental perfusion
¥ Stage 2 - maternal syndrome
¥ Abnormal placentation and trophoblast invasion failure of normal vascular remodelling
¥ Spiral arteries fail to adapt to become high capacitance, low resistance vessels
¥ Placental ischaemia widespread endothelial damage and dysfunction
¥ Mechanism unclear (??oxidative stress / PGI2 : TXA2 imbalance / NO)
¥ inc. Endothelial Activation
¥ inc. Capillary Permeability
¥ inc. Expression of CAM
¥ inc. Prothrombotic Factors
¥ inc. Platelet aggregration
VASOCONSTRICTION
How does Pre eclampsia effects the CNS? 6
¥ Eclampsia ¥ Hypertensive encephalopathy ¥ Intracranial haemorrhage ¥ Cerebral Oedema ¥ Cortical Blindness ¥ Cranial Nerve Palsy
How does Pre eclampsia affect the renal system?
¥ GFR
¥ Proteinuria
¥ serum uric acid (also placental ischaemia)
¥ creatinine / potassium / urea
¥ Oliguria /anuria
¥ Acute renal failure
- acute tubular necrosis
- renal cortical necrosis
How does Pre eclampsia affect the liver?
¥ Epigastric/ RUQ pain
¥ Abnormal liver enzymes
¥ Hepatic capsule rupture
¥ HELLP Syndrome
Haemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets
(microvascular endothelial activation and cell injury)
¥ high morbidity/ mortality
How does Pre eclampsia affect the haematological system?
¥ decreased `Plasma Volume ¥ Haemo-concentration ¥ Thrombocytopenia ¥ Haemolysis Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
How does Pre eclampsia cause cardi/pulmonary disease?
¥ Pulmonary oedema leads to ARDS ¥ iatrogenic ¥ disorder related ¥ Pulmonary Embolus High mortality
What can the placental disease of Pre eclampsia lead to?
- Intrauterine growth restriction
- Placental abruption
- Intrauterine death
What are the symptoms of pre-eclampsia? 6
¥ Headache ¥ Visual disturbance ¥ Epigastric / RUQ pain ¥ Nausea / vomiting ¥ Rapidly progressive oedema ¥ Considerable variation in timing, progression and order of symptoms
What are the signs seen in pre-eclampsia? 8
¥ Hypertension ¥ Proteinuria ¥ Oedema ¥ Abdominal tenderness ¥ Disorientation ¥ SGA ¥ IUD ¥ Hyper-reflexia / involuntary movements / clonus
What investigations are carried out for Pre eclampsia ? 10
¥ Urea & Electrolytes ¥ Serum Urate ¥ Liver Function Tests ¥ Full Blood Count ¥ Coagulation Screen ¥ UPCR ¥ CTG ¥ Ultrasound - biometry, ¥ AFI, Doppler