100 Longitudinal follow-up of endothelial function in pregnant women with chronic hypertension and normal blood pressure

Abstract

Chronic arterial hypertension (CAH) is a condition that directly affects the prognosis of pregnancy by compromising the utero-placental perfusion and by increasing the incidence of cardiovascular events and other complications of pregnancy, particularly preeclampsia. Endothelial dysfunction caused by CAH is considered as one of the causes of those complications. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the braquial artery is a biophysical marker of endothelial dysfunction. Compare endothelial function in pregnant women with CAH and in normotensive patients at two diferent times during the second trimester of gestation. A total of 18 hypertense and 22 normotense pregnant women were submitted to FMD of the brachial artery. The first examination was held between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation and the second between 24 and 28 weeks. When compared to normotense patients, the group of pregnant women with CAH presented lower FMD results between 16 and 20 weeks (3.65% × 5.43%, p = 0.022) and between 24 and 28 weeks (4.12% × 6.95%, p = 0.008). Endothelial dysfunction can be clinically detected by FMD test in the second trimester of pregnancy in women with CAH. This finding may help to elucidate the higher incidence of preeclampsia in these group of patients.