Cardiologie clinique et expérimentale
Libre accès
ISSN: 2155-9880
ISSN: 2155-9880
Moses Salifu
Hypertension in pregnancy is a worldwide health problem for women and their infants accounting for 10% of pregnancies and associated with increased maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. HDP are a leading cause of maternal mortality in the major health institutions in Ghana and causes about 30% of maternal deaths. Hypertensive pregnancy in the mother have short term complications which include cerebrovascular complications such cerebral hemorrhage and seizures, pulmonary edema and kidney failure. Other maternal complications of hypertensive pregnancy include hepatocellular injury, thrombocytopenia, central nervous system dysfunction, oliguria, disseminated intravascular coagulation and placental abruption. Perinatal complications regarding the fetus include preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA) neonate, intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight neonate, intrauterine and perinatal death. Although maternal hypertensive pregnancy disorders pose great threats to the life of the mother and may cause fetal developmental abnormalities, they have attracted relatively little research interest.