False Hypertension Linked with Cesareans.Many pregnant women may undergo unnecessary cesarean sections because they have "white-coat hypertension white-coat hypertension n. Transient hypertension that occurs during a medical examination, presumably as a result of anxiety. "--high blood pressure that happens only when they are around doctors, a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, published 48 times per year by the American Medical Association. JAMA is the most widely circulated medical journal in the world. suggests. Almost one-third of pregnant women have such false high blood pressure. Believing it is real hypertension, doctors usually treat it with blood pressure lowering drugs, which can compromise a woman's ability to have normal contractions. The drugs apparently led to unnecessary cesareans, said research author Dr. Gianni Beliomo of Assisi Hospital in Italy. Researchers studied 144 pregnant women who had high blood pressure during the final trimester trimester /tri·mes·ter/ (-mes´ter) a period of three months. tri·mes·ter n. A period of three months. Trimester The first third or 13 weeks of pregnancy. of their pregnancies and found that 42 had white-coat hypertension. The women's blood pressure was normal when it was not being measured by a health professional, as shown by portable monitors the women wore for 24 hours Adv. 1. for 24 hours - without stopping; "she worked around the clock" around the clock, round the clock . Nineteen of these 42 women ultimately underwent cesareans (45 percent), a rate similar to the 42 cesareans (41 percent) among the 102 women with true hypertension. But only 13 cesarean cesarean /ce·sar·e·an/ (se-zar´e-an) see under section. ce·sar·e·an or cae·sar·e·an or cae·sar·i·an or ce·sar·i·an adj. Of or relating to a cesarean section. deliveries (12 percent) were done among a comparison group of 103 women with normal blood pressure. --Reprinted from Midwifery midwifery (mĭd`wī'fərē), art of assisting at childbirth. The term midwife for centuries referred to a woman who was an overseer during the process of delivery. In ancient Greece and Rome, these women had some formal training. Today E-News (Issue 1:44, Oct. 29, 1999). To subscribe to the E-News write: enews@midwiferytoday.com. For all other matters contact Midwifery Today, PO Box 2672-940, Eugene OR 97402; 541-344-7438, midwifery@aol.com, http://www.midwiferytoday.com |
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