Faster Treatment for Pregnancy-Related Hypertension can Cut Deaths

In 10 seconds? Pregnant women with severe high blood pressure should receive treatment within 30-60 minutes of their confirmed diagnosis, as researchers have shown that timely therapy can reduce the risk of complications.

What’s the story? Hypertensive disorders affect about 5 - 10% of pregnancies, being the leading cause of severe obstetric outcomes, and are responsible for up to 16% of maternal deaths in the USA. The current recommendation for managing severe hypertension in pregnancy involves the administration of antihypertensive medication within 30 to 60 minutes of diagnosis, based on recent studies that demonstrated that timely treatment is associated with a 72% reduction in severe maternal outcomes. Regardless of whether the severe hypertension is caused by preeclampsia/eclampsia (a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure with organ damage), gestational hypertension, or chronic hypertension, this recommendation applies to all cases of acute-onset severe hypertension.