Is high blood pressure dangerous during pregnancy?

It is a common disease for women to develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. Generally speaking, high blood pressure during pregnancy still poses a great risk to the body, especially for older pregnant women. High blood pressure can easily lead to heart disease in pregnant women and will also affect the normal development of the fetus. High blood pressure during pregnancy can also easily cause stillbirth.

Hypertension during pregnancy

Gestational hypertension refers to symptoms such as high blood pressure, edema, and proteinuria that occur after 20 weeks of pregnancy. These symptoms are transient and disappear after delivery. It is a pregnancy-specific disease and is currently one of the main causes of illness and death among pregnant women and perinatal infants. In late pregnancy, if systolic blood pressure is above 140 mmHg (18.7 kPa) or diastolic blood pressure is above 90 mmHg (12.0 kPa), hypertension must be considered. There are many theories about the causes of gestational hypertension. It is generally believed that certain substances from the placenta enter the mother's blood, causing changes in the pregnant woman's immune factors, leading to spasms of the pregnant woman's systemic arterioles and hypertension. Some studies have also found that it is related to genetic factors. Main clinical manifestations

① Hypertension: The diagnosis can be made if the blood pressure reaches 140/90 mmHg twice. ② Proteinuria: Midstream urine should be taken for examination. Any 24-hour urine protein quantity greater than 0.5 grams is abnormal. The presence of both hypertension and proteinuria is preeclampsia. ③Edema. ④ Subjective symptoms: headache, dizziness, chest tightness, nausea, vomiting, etc. The appearance of these subjective symptoms indicates that the disease has entered the preeclampsia stage and corresponding examinations and treatments should be carried out in a timely manner. ⑤ Convulsions and coma: Convulsions and coma are manifestations of the disease developing to a serious stage. You should seek medical treatment immediately and terminate the pregnancy in time.

Women with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia have an increased risk of developing hypertension in later years, and even up to 50 years later their probability of hospitalization for hypertension-related diseases remains high. Women with a history of preeclampsia have a four times higher risk of stroke than women with normal blood pressure during pregnancy.

Is high blood pressure dangerous for pregnant women?

Women who are pregnant for the first time, especially those who are younger than 20 years old or older than 40 years old; pregnant women with twins or multiple births; women with susceptibility factors or genetic factors for hypertension; women with vascular diseases, kidney diseases, and abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism; overweight or malnourished women. In addition, women with a history of severe preeclampsia, unexplained intrauterine fetal death or placental disorders, fetal growth restriction, and antiphospholipid syndrome are also at high risk for subsequent pregnancy. In short, women who fall into any of the above situations should consult an obstetrician as early as possible before pregnancy.

Self-identification

In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, in addition to paying attention to fetal movements, pregnant women should also pay attention to their own weight gain, which should not exceed 0.5 kg per week. After 8 months of pregnancy, there may be mild edema in both feet every afternoon, which disappears after rest. If edema occurs too early (such as in the 6th or 7th month of pregnancy), lasts a long time, does not disappear after rest, and worsens and extends to the calves, you should go to the hospital immediately to check your blood pressure and urine routine to see if you have gestational hypertension.

When lower limb edema occurs but blood pressure and urine routine are normal, the following issues should be noted: ① Increase the frequency of prenatal examinations and go to the hospital for a prenatal examination once a week. ②Rest: Reduce workload appropriately and ensure adequate sleep. You can rest at home or be hospitalized if necessary. ③ Left side lying position: Lie on the left side when resting and sleeping. The left lateral position can reduce the pressure of the right-rotated uterus on the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava, increase the amount of blood returning to the heart, improve renal blood flow, increase urine volume, and help maintain normal uterine placental blood circulation. ④Diet: Pay attention to adequate intake of protein, vitamins, and supplementation of iron and calcium. By paying attention to the above aspects, the condition can usually be alleviated, but in a few cases, the condition continues to progress. Severe hypertension combined with proteinuria is called preeclampsia, which requires hospitalization and timely termination of pregnancy.