How is chronic hypertension defined in pregnancy?

How is chronic hypertension defined in pregnancy?

• A. Hypertension after 20 weeks gestation
• B. Hypertension before 20 weeks or persists >6 weeks postpartum
• C. Hypertension only during labor
• D. Hypertension with proteinuria

Answer: (B)

Chronic hypertension in pregnancy is defined by blood pressure that is already elevated before conception or before 20 weeks of gestation. This timing distinguishes chronic hypertension from pregnancy-related forms, like gestational hypertension, which develops after mid-pregnancy. If hypertension persists after delivery and remains elevated beyond the early postpartum period (often considered a few weeks post partum, such as six weeks in some definitions), it supports the diagnosis of chronic hypertension rather than a condition that arose solely due to pregnancy. Hypertension that appears after 20 weeks without other pregnancy-specific features would be gestational hypertension, and hypertension with proteinuria would point toward preeclampsia. Therefore, the definition aligns with hypertension before 20 weeks or persisting postpartum beyond the immediate postpartum period.

Chronic hypertension in pregnancy is defined by blood pressure that is already elevated before conception or before 20 weeks of gestation. This timing distinguishes chronic hypertension from pregnancy-related forms, like gestational hypertension, which develops after mid-pregnancy. If hypertension persists after delivery and remains elevated beyond the early postpartum period (often considered a few weeks post partum, such as six weeks in some definitions), it supports the diagnosis of chronic hypertension rather than a condition that arose solely due to pregnancy. Hypertension that appears after 20 weeks without other pregnancy-specific features would be gestational hypertension, and hypertension with proteinuria would point toward preeclampsia. Therefore, the definition aligns with hypertension before 20 weeks or persisting postpartum beyond the immediate postpartum period.