ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Hypertensive disorders are the most common medical complication of pregnancy, found in about 6% to 8% of all pregnancies. Approximately one half of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are caused by chronic hypertension, and the remainder are due to pre-eclampsia, giving an incidence of pre-eclampsia of around 2% to 8%, depending on the definition used. The spectrum of pre-eclampsia ranges from mildly elevated blood pressures (BP) with little clinical significance (which has been termed pregnancy-induced hypertension) to severe hypertension and multi-organ dysfunction.
