Circadian patterns of blood pressure in pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia

Abstract

Introduction: ambulatory monitoring allows recording circadian patterns of blood pressure and can be used to support decision-making in pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia.

Objective: to describe circadian patterns of blood pressure in pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia and their relationship with the end of pregnancy and its product.

Methods: a observational, descriptive study was carried out from June 2020 to June 2022 in the health areas of “Marta Abreu” and “Chiqui Gómez” polyclinics of Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba which included 103 women less than 14 weeks of pregnancy with risk factors for preeclampsia in which ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was performed, the recorded circadian patterns were related to variables related to childbirth and the characteristics of the newborns.

Results: 18.6% of the patients studied developed preeclampsia, with an evident predominance of those who had a Non Dipper circadian pattern. 69.2% of mothers with low birth weight newborns had a Non Dipper pattern, with a significantly lower average fetal weight of newborns from mothers with this pattern compared to the children of mothers with a Dipper pattern.

Conclusion: pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia and a Non-dipper pattern at the beginning of pregnancy developed preeclampsia more frequently and had lower birth weight newborns.