How White Coat Hypertension Impacts Pregnancy

A recent study published in the U.S. journal Hypertension on May 28, 2020, the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, evaluated the effects of white coat hypertension on mothers and babies during pregnancy. White coat hypertension is defined as elevated blood pressure (BP) when measured by a doctor of midwife at an appointment (BP ≥140/90 mm Hg) with normal BP when checked at home with a blood pressure monitor.
The authors conducted a meta-analysis study on 20 clinical studies. They observed that women with white coat hypertension before the twentieth week of pregnancy had a higher risk of vascular and renal (kidney) complications compared to those with normal blood pressure at all times. These women were also more at risk of high blood pressure continuing postpartum.
White coat hypertension also exposed the baby to an elevated risk of premature birth, low birth weight and perinatal complications. This means that white coat hypertension during a woman’s first two trimesters of pregnancy is a new marker of a pregnancy with greater risk of complications, justifying closer monitoring of the mother and her baby all throughout pregnancy. These moms should also have their blood pressure re-evaluated postpartum. Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes of White Coat Hypertension During Pregnancy.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.14627 Hypertension. 2020;(76):157-166.