A newly defined disease which is nowadays growing among women is hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. If you are having a high blood pressure (or hypertension) at any time can lead to several types of problems but especially so during pregnancy.

The disorder could be critical outcomes for you and your baby, particularly the risk of pre-eclampsia if the adequate care is not provided or taken to control it. But with proper antenatal care, the risks can be greatly reduced.

If you consistently have a systolic blood pressure of 140 or more and a diastolic blood pressure of 90 or more, you will be said to be suffering from hypertension.

What are Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy?

Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (commonly known as a maternal hypertensive disorder) which is a group of diseases that include eclampsia, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and chronic hypertension.

Maternal hypertensive disorders (or hypertensive disorder of pregnancy) occurred in about 20.7 million women which is almost 10% of pregnancies globally. In most of the countries, hypertensive disease of pregnancy affects nearly about 8% to 13% of pregnancies.

According to recent researches, the rates of the disorder have been increased in all across the world. The disorder approximately resulted in 29,000 deaths in 2013 decline from 37,000 deaths in 1990. Several studies have also concluded that the disorder is one of the three major causes of death in pregnancy along with puerperal infections and postpartum bleeding.

What are the Symptoms of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy?

There are several symptoms that are associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy including;

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Protein in the urine (proteinuria)
• Severe persistent headaches
• Problems with vision like blurring or photophobia
• Sudden weight gain
• Swelling (edema), especially of the face and hands
• Abdominal pain.
• Chest pain
• Vomiting
• Malaise
• Shortness of breath
• Pain just below the ribs on the right side
• A decrease in urine output
• A decrease in platelets in the blood
• Impaired liver function

What are the Causes of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy?

The exact cause of the disorders involves many factors. Several experts believe that the disorder begins in the placenta (the main organ that nourishes the fetus throughout pregnancy).

In women with the disorder, blood vessels don’t seem to function or develop properly. If a female is suffering from the disorder then she had narrower than normal blood vessels and react differently to hormonal signaling, which limits the amount of blood that can flow through vessels.

Causes of this abnormal development may include:

• Insufficient blood flow to the uterus
• A problem with the immune system
• Damage to the blood vessels
• Certain genes

Conclusion:

As we all know that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are not so common, but with the help of proper care and medical facilities, disorders can be easily cured.