RT Book, Section
A1 Rogers, Vanessa L.
A1 Roberts, Scott W.
A2 Papadakis, Maxine A.
A2 McPhee, Stephen J.
A2 Rabow, Michael W.
SR Print(0)
ID 1175805553
T1 Chronic Hypertension in Pregnancy
T2 Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2021
YR 2021
FD 2021
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781260469868
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1175805553
RD 2023/02/08
AB Chronic  hypertension  is  estimated  to  complicate  up  to  5%  of  pregnancies.  To  establish  this  diagnosis,  hypertension  should  antedate  the  pregnancy  or  be  evident  before  20  weeks’  gestation  to  differentiate  it  from  pregnancy-related  hypertension.  This  distinction  can  be  problematic  when  the  initial  presentation  is  after  20  weeks,  but  chronic  hypertension  is  confirmed  if  the  blood  pressure  remains  elevated  beyond  12  weeks’  postpartum.  Risk  factors  for  chronic  hypertension  include  older  maternal  age,  African-American  race,  and  obesity.  While  essential  hypertension  is  by  far  the  most  common  cause,  secondary  causes  should  be  sought  when  clinically  indicated.