Elevated midtrimester mean arterial blood pressure in women with severe preeclampsia

Although early identification of pregnant women who are at risk for severe preeclampsia may help reduce maternal-perinatal sequelae, an adequate screening test for this disorder has not been described. The purpose of this study was to determine if a group of women (n=57) who developed severe preeclampsia had a higher midtrimester mean arterial pressure (MAP-2) than a matched group of women (n=57) who remained normotensive throughout pregnancy and the puerperium. It was found that women who developed severe preeclampsia had a significantly higher MAP-2 than normotensive women and significantly more preeclamptic subjects had an MAP-2 greater than or equal to 85 mmHg than did control subjects. Thus, an elevated MAP-2 may help identify women who are at risk for the development of severe preeclampsia. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company.