Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Pre-eclampsia medical therapy
Introduction
Overview
Overview
- The aim of therapy is starting treatment in blood pressure≥ 140/90 mmHg in office or clinic and blood pressure ≥ 135/85 mmHg at home and reaching the target systolic blood pressure 110-140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure less than 85 mmHg regardless the type of hypertension in pregnancy.
Treatment
Treatment
Medical Therapy
- The mainstay of therapy for hypertension in preeclampsia is oral methyldopa, labetalol, oxprenolol, and nifedipine, and second or third line agents include hydralazine and prazosin.
- For patients who have proteinuria with severe hypertension or hypertension with neurologic signs and symptoms, treatment is magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) for convulsion prophylaxis.
- Urgent therapy for severe hypertension( blood pressure >160/110) is oral nifedipine or intravenous labetalol or hydralazine or oral labetalol.[1][2]
| Serum Magnesium Concentration (mg/dL) | Effect |
|---|---|
| 5–9 | Therapeutic range |
| >9 | Loss of patellar reflexes |
| > 12 | Respiratory paralysis |
| > 30 | Cardiac arrest |
| Drugs for urgent controlling of hypertension in preeclampsia[3] | Dose | Specific considration | Onset of action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labetalol | 10–20 mg IV, then 20–80 mg every 10–30 minutes upto a maximum dosage of 300 mg; or infusion 1–2 mg/min IV | Contraindications: | 1-2 minutes |
| Hydralazine | 5 mg IV or IM, then 5–10 mg IV every 20–40 minutes upto a maximum dosage of 20 mg or keeping infusion of 0.5–10 mg/hr | Side effects in higher dosage:
|
10-20 minutes |
| Nifedipine | 10–20 mg orally, repeat in 20 minutes if needed; then 10–20 mg every 2–6 hours, maximum daily dose is 180 mg | Side effect:
|
5-10 minutes |
References
References
- ↑ . doi:10.1161/HYP.0000000000000065Hypertension. Check
|doi=value (help). Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ “Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia: ACOG Practice Bulletin, Number 222”. Obstet Gynecol. 135 (6): e237–e260. June 2020. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000003891. PMID 32443079 Check
|pmid=value (help). - ↑ “Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia”. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 135 (6): e237–e260. 2020. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000003891. ISSN 0029-7844.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sara Zand, M.D.[2] Ogheneochuko Ajari, MB.BS, MS [3]