ABSTRACT
Pre-eclampsia is a disease specific to human pregnancy, although some inexact animal models have been used to investigate the pathophysiology. The 2000–2002 report focuses on early diagnosis and rapid effective treatment of pre-eclampsia guided by local protocols directly managed by consultant obstetricians, obstetric anaesthetists and intensive-care specialists. An annex to the hypertension chapter of the 1997–1999 report included pre-eclampsia management guidelines from the Mersey Region. Severe hypertension may be an indication to use intra-arterial blood pressure measurement. Hypertension must be controlled urgently and effectively before delivery whenever possible. In mild to moderate hypertension during pregnancy, blood pressure control may be managed either in the community or as an inpatient while trying to prolong the pregnancy to allow fetal maturation. Chronic hypertension and its associated ischaemic sequelae increasingly complicate pregnancy, particularly as maternal age rises. Renal involvement and obesity are commonly associated with chronic hypertension.
