SMFM Statement: benefit of antihypertensive therapy for mild-to-moderate chronic hypertension during pregnancy remains uncertain

Abstract

Chronic hypertension is present in up to 5% of pregnant women and constitutes a major cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this document is to summarize the current recommendations regarding use of antihypertensive medications during pregnancy for women with mild-to-moderate chronic hypertension in the setting of the recently published Control of Hypertension in Pregnancy Study (CHIPS). The recently published CHIPS trial was a multicenter international randomized controlled trial comparing "less tight control" to "tight control" of blood pressure for pregnant women with hypertension. The most updated recommendations regarding management of pregnant women with hypertension are found from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Task Force on Hypertension in Pregnancy, which are endorsed by the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM). SMFM recommends that clinicians continue to follow existing guidelines for management of pregnant women with mild-to-moderate chronic hypertension due to the fact that the benefits and risks of pharmacologic treatment for these women remain uncertain, and adequately powered randomized controlled trials are needed to address the less common but clinically significant nonsurrogate perinatal outcomes.

Keywords: antihypertensive treatment during pregancy; chronic hypertension during pregnancy; mild-to-moderate chronic hypertension during pregnancy.