Prevalence of hypertension during pregnancy in Portugal

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of maternal hypertensive disorders in Portugal and to assess their impact on obstetric outcomes.

Methods: A national survey on hypertension in pregnancy was conducted in Portuguese public maternity wards and included 6726 pregnancies.

Results: Six percent of women presented with a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy or puerperium: 1.5% with chronic hypertension, 2.5% with gestational hypertension, 1.4% with preeclampsia, 0.2% with superimposed preeclampsia, 0.1% with eclampsia, and 0.1% with HELLP syndrome. Preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age infants and fetal death were significantly more frequent among women with preeclampsia/eclampsia and HELLP syndrome.

Conclusion: In Portugal, the prevalence of hypertensive disorders diagnosed during pregnancy seems to be lower than that reported in most countries, but these disorders have a significant effect on pregnancy outcomes.