Prevalence of Postpartum Chronic Arterial Hypertension in Patients with History of Preeclampsia

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertensive alterations that accompany pregnancy determine frequent obstetric complications and notable maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. It is an entity of sustained prevalence, despite the great efforts to control it and the search for
preventive measures.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of chronic arterial hypertension in patients with history of preeclampsia and to characterize the sample.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out of patients treated in the maternity ward at Carlos Manuel de Céspedes University Hospital in Bayamo, Granma, Cuba, from March 1, 2017 to February 29, 2020. One hundred sixty-two patients were
assessed. They suffered pre-eclampsia and attended the hypertension clinic 12 weeks after delivery to determine whether or not hypertension persisted, which would classify them as chronic hypertensive. Data collection was performed only once in this consultation and descriptive statistics were used for information processing.
Results: The prevalence of chronic arterial hypertension after preeclampsia was 27.7%. the age range between 20 and 35 years  redominated in 62.22%. Most of the patients had no relevant genetic history. Obesity had high percentage in the sample (24.44%). 62.22% of the sample was controlled with a single hypotensive. Only 13.33% of the patients had preeclampsia with proven multi-organ damage.
Conclusions: The prevalence of chronic arterial hypertension after preeclampsia is high and the non-aggravated form of preeclampsia predominates as the antecedent.