American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association Blood Pressure Categories: A Systematic Review of the Relationship With Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in the First Half of Pregnancy

Abstract

(Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023;228(4):418–429.e34) Many risk factors contribute to adverse outcomes in pregnancy related to elevated blood pressure. High blood pressure or hypertension, has also been shown to be connected to poor outcomes outside of pregnancy, and clinical guidelines have recently changed to reflect stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension rather than a global definition of hypertension. Guidelines for defining hypertension in pregnancy, however, have not changed with general practice guidelines. There is substantial evidence linking hypertension with pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, but there has been no movement to adjust guidelines for hypertension diagnosis or treatment in pregnancy. This systematic review aimed to evaluate whether there is evidence to support the changing of practice guidelines and the definition of hypertension in pregnancy to the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) recommendations to help identify individuals at risk of developing pre-eclampsia or other pregnancy complications.