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Automated blood pressure monitoring in normal pregnancy
Author(s) -
Stella A.,
Grella P.V.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/0020-7292(96)02742-7
Subject(s) - medicine , blood pressure , pregnancy , gestation , circadian rhythm , obstetrics , sphygmomanometer , diastole , ambulatory blood pressure , preeclampsia , cardiology , genetics , biology
Objectives: The aims of this work were to establish automated blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) standards during the three trimesters of pregnancy and to analyze the chronobiological trend of blood pressure during gestation. Methods: A longitudinal study using 24‐h ABPM was performed on 192 healthy pregnant women, (aged 20–42 years, mean ± S.D. 28 ± 5) both nulliparas (n = 85) and multiparas (n = 107), and also on 26 pregnant women with chronic hypertension and 132 preeclamptic patients. The arterial pressure (AP) of the healthy women, at the start of the pregnancy, was < 140/90 mmHg, as measured by the standard mercury sphygmomanometer, and it remained so at subsequent check‐ups throughout the pregnancy and puerperium. AP was monitored using the Spacelabs 90207 (Nippon Collin, Takeda UA 751), beginning at 08:00 h. Results: The normal pregnancies demonstrated an AP circadian rhythm with daytime systolic (SAP) and diastolic (DAP) values about 8–9 mmHg (P < 0.01) higher than at night. In the normal pregnancies, the mean 24‐h AP values, like mean daytime and night‐time, SAP and DAP values, remained the same in the first two trimesters, while a slight but significant increase occurred in the third (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study enabled a range of normal pressure values to be deduced for each hour of the day throughout the three trimesters of pregnancy. This may facilitate a more accurate evaluation of individual pressure readings in pregnant women so as to ensure a more reliable and timely diagnosis of hypertension.