Maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancy induced hypertension: An observational study

Abstract

Hypertension during pregnancy has been extensively studied due to significant maternal morbidity, mortality, and perinatal mortality that may result. The outcome in hypertensive disorders in pregnancy vary significantly across populations and between institutions serving the same populace. Objective: In the present study, the authors sought to determine the outcome for mother and fetus with pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) in a rural community at a tertiary care center at Thrissur Medical College, Kerala, India. Materials and Methods: The authors included all singleton pregnancies with hypertensive disease that had deliveries in our institution in a six-month period excluding the ones with pre-existing hypertension and other comorbidities. Results: 46.5% of the patients required a cesarean section, 37.2% had pre-term labor, 52.4% had low birth weight, and 9.4% unfortunately were stillborn. Discussion: These results emphasize the need for screening and close follow-up of hypertension in pregnancy for safeguarding fetal and maternal wellbeing. Even after practicing the current standard of care, the higher rate of complications associated with PIH is unacceptable. The authors feel that unique management protocols should be implemented for different patient populations, based on ethnicity, lifestyle, and availability of medical resources.