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Management of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in Black women: a systematic review
  • Jeeva John,
  • Gwenetta Curry
Jeeva John
University of Edinburgh Division of Clinical and Surgical Sciences

Corresponding Author:jeeva.john@ed.ac.uk

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Gwenetta Curry
University of Edinburgh Division of Clinical and Surgical Sciences
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Abstract

Black women are four times more likely to die than White women in pregnancy in the U.K. Black women are more prone to Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy (HDP). Outside of pregnancy, there are race based differences in the management of hypertension as Calcium-Channel Blockers (CCB) are more effective in reducing blood pressure in Black patients. It is unclear whether these differences in anti-hypertensive management extend to the management of hypertension in pregnancy. Objectives The primary objective was to address this gap in evidence by undertaking a systematic review of all randomised control trials investigating pharmacological management of HDP to assess whether CCBs are the most effective anti-hypertensive agent in Black pregnant women. Search Strategy The following electronic databases were searched: PubMed, MEDLINE and Embase. We used MeSH and free text terms in conjunction to increase sensitivity to potentially relevant studies. Selection Criteria Inclusion criteria: (1) study involved treatment of HDP; (2) study was of a randomised control trial design; (3) one of the treatment arms involved CCBs and (4) English full-text. Data collection and Analysis Information regarding baseline participant data, type of anti-hypertensive, and clinical outcomes was extracted from each study. Main results This current review highlighted one randomised control trial, which stratified HDP outcomes by ethnicity. Conclusions There is a lack of evidence to draw conclusions as to whether CCBs are the most effective anti-hypertensive agent for Black patients with HDP. Funding None Keywords Hypertension; pregnancy; pre-eclampsia; ethnicity; anti-hypertensive; Calcium-Channel Blocker; race; Black; maternal mortality; maternal morbidity