Symptoms of Hypertension in Pregnant Women

Written by Zhang Lu
Obstetrics
Updated on September 02, 2024
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During pregnancy, if a pregnant woman develops high blood pressure, initially there are no symptoms, because at the beginning the blood pressure just slightly exceeds 140/90mmHg. If the high blood pressure is only temporary, it generally does not affect the woman's body and therefore, she may not experience any symptoms. As the condition progresses, the symptoms of high blood pressure can cause physical harm to the woman, likely damaging the kidneys and causing proteinuria. The loss of protein can lead to edema in women, and as a result, many women's initial symptoms will appear as generalized swelling, which does not improve with rest. By measuring blood pressure and urinary protein, symptoms of hypertension in pregnant women can be detected. In the later stages of the disease, hypertension may sometimes be accompanied by dizziness, indigestion, and mild pain in the lower abdomen, which are all symptoms of hypertension in pregnant women.

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Written by Tang Li
Cardiology
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What is hypertension?

Hypertension is characterized by elevated arterial blood pressure in the systemic circulation, and may be accompanied by functional or organic damage to organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys. Hypertension can be divided into primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. Secondary hypertension is due to certain identified causes or etiologies, leading to increased blood pressure, accounting for about 5% of all hypertension cases. Conditions like primary aldosteronism, pheochromocytoma, renovascular hypertension, and renin-secreting tumors are examples, and cases where the cause of increased blood pressure cannot be found are also referred to as primary hypertension and hypertensive disease. Currently, the classification and standard for blood pressure in China mostly use a systolic pressure of greater than or equal to 140 mmHg and/or a diastolic pressure of greater than or equal to 90 mmHg.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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How should one take medicine for high blood pressure?

Patients with hypertension must use effective medications to keep their blood pressure within the normal range to prevent damage to the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems. During medication use, patients should not arbitrarily stop taking their medication or switch to different types. It is necessary to regularly monitor blood pressure and adjust the medication dosage or switch types under the guidance of a doctor as blood pressure fluctuates. Randomly stopping medication and discontinuing antihypertensive drugs can cause blood pressure fluctuations and pose greater risks to the body, especially causing ischemia in the heart and brain.

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Symptoms of hypertension

Hypertension is a common and frequently occurring disease clinically. Mild hypertension often has no clinical symptoms and is usually detected during physical examinations when measuring blood pressure reveals an increase. In cases of severe hypertension, individuals with long-term high blood pressure may experience dizziness, a feeling of pressure in the head, and headaches. In serious cases, symptoms can include tinnitus and palpitations, requiring the use of effective antihypertensive medications for management. If patients with hypertension do not use medications to manage their condition, long-term high blood pressure can cause significant harm to the body, leading to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension-induced heart disease, and stroke. (Please use medications under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Li Qiang
Intensive Care Unit
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The difference between hypertensive emergency and hypertensive encephalopathy.

The so-called hypertensive emergency is a condition where blood pressure rises very quickly, reaching a very high level in a short period of time. At this time, it does not necessarily lead to hypertensive encephalopathy, which is a more dangerous condition. Hypertensive encephalopathy indicates that due to the rapid rise in blood pressure, the pressure in the brain's blood vessels becomes excessively high. This pressure causes cerebral edema. At this point, because the blood pressure is higher than the brain's perfusion pressure, the brain becomes swollen, which is extremely dangerous. If the swelling is severe, it may lead to brain herniation, which can be fatal. Therefore, relatively speaking, hypertensive encephalopathy is much more serious than a hypertensive emergency and represents a dangerous stage of progression within a hypertensive crisis. Thus, hypertensive encephalopathy is a very dangerous condition and is one of the most critical manifestations within a hypertensive emergency.

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
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What is the general blood pressure for hypertensive nephropathy?

Hypertension caused by kidney disease is called renal hypertension. The blood pressure of patients with renal hypertension is generally higher than that of those with primary hypertension. However, these patients can exhibit any range of blood pressure types. Their blood pressure might be in stage 1, meaning the systolic pressure is between 140 to 160 mmHg. It could also reach stage 3, where the systolic pressure exceeds 180 mmHg. In cases of heart failure, the patient's blood pressure might even reach 220 or 240 mmHg, though such extreme cases are relatively rare.