[Ambulatory arterial blood pressure monitoring in the management of hypertension in pregnancy]

Abstract

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) completes the diagnostic approach to hypertension of pregnancy, by providing a dynamic study of the blood pressure status of the pregnant woman. It corrects certain erroneous diagnoses of hypertension of pregnancy, in particular those related to the "White coat" effect, especially common in pregnant women. ABPM enables the study of nocturnal blood pressured figures, known for their prognostic value in hypertension of pregnancy. Finally, while loss or reversal of circadian rhythm appears to be of good predictive value regarding the onset of eclampsia, it is above all blood pressure load which appears to be harmful to fetal growth and maturity. ABPM also facilitates management by improving the compliance of pregnant women with regular monitoring and with treatment, by more accurately guiding the surveillance of drug treatment.