Early Vascular Adjustments During Hypertensive Pregnancy

Summary

Paradoxical fetal and maternal results of studies have led to inconsistent use of antihypertensive drugs or no treatment at all in mild to moderate gestational hypertension in the Netherlands. However, none of the studies have taken the individual maternal circulatory state or the contemplated blood pressure response into account. Hypertension may be accompanied by high (hyperdynamic vasodilated profile), normal (normodynamic profile) of low (hypodynamic vasoconstrictive profile) cardiac output, and preeclampsia is not restricted to one circulatory profile. Therefore antihypertensive drugs should be viewed upon as correctors of the hemodynamic state rather than solely reducers of blood pressure. Without taking the maternal hemodynamic profile and condition into account, generic antihypertensive treatment can be expected to result in disappointing, inadequate and paradoxical results. The investigators hypothesize that in mild to moderate hypertension, personalized hemodynamically guided antihypertensive therapy (with target systolic and diastolic blood pressure \<130/80mmHg), prevents the progression to severe hypertension and/or preeclampsia compared to no treatment, without the alleged side-effects.

Timeline

Start

2015-01-01

Primary completion

2023-02

Completion

2023-04

Publications

• Background Schutte JM, Schuitemaker NW, van Roosmalen J, Steegers EA; Dutch Maternal Mortality Committee. Substandard care in maternal mortality due to hypertensive disease in pregnancy in the Netherlands. BJOG. 2008 May;115(6):732-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.01702.x.
• Background Abalos E, Duley L, Steyn DW. Antihypertensive drug therapy for mild to moderate hypertension during pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Feb 6;(2):CD002252. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002252.pub3.
• Background Easterling TR, Benedetti TJ, Schmucker BC, Millard SP. Maternal hemodynamics in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies: a longitudinal study. Obstet Gynecol. 1990 Dec;76(6):1061-9.
• Background Valensise H, Vasapollo B, Gagliardi G, Novelli GP. Early and late preeclampsia: two different maternal hemodynamic states in the latent phase of the disease. Hypertension. 2008 Nov;52(5):873-80. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.117358. Epub 2008 Sep 29.
• Background Taler SJ, Textor SC, Augustine JE. Resistant hypertension: comparing hemodynamic management to specialist care. Hypertension. 2002 May;39(5):982-8. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.0000016176.16042.2f.
• Mulder E, Ghossein-Doha C, Appelman E, van Kuijk S, Smits L, van der Zanden R, van Drongelen J, Spaanderman M. Study protocol for the randomized controlled EVA (early vascular adjustments) trial: tailored treatment of mild hypertension in pregnancy to prevent severe hypertension and preeclampsia. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2020 Dec 12;20(1):775. doi: 10.1186/s12884-020-03475-w.

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