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Will the new values of hypertension have an impact on the definition and management of preeclampsia?

Abstract:

The new guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) / American College of Cardiology (ACC) have sparked debate on the diagnostic criteria and management of arterial hypertension, since they propose radical changes in the definition of hypertension, shifting the values to diagnose blood pressure (BP) from equal to or greater than 140/90 mm Hg to equal to or greater than 130/80 mm Hg. In addition, the new guidelines propose a lower threshold to define adequate control of hypertension, less than 120/80 PA mm Hg. In global terms, this is expected to substantially increase the number of individuals considered hypertensive patients requiring more drugs for adequate control. All of this has led to questioning on the feasibility of the clinical application of these new guidelines, given the tremendous financial implications of prescribing drugs to the millions of new hypertensive patients. The academic validity of the new AHA/ACC guidelines has also been questioned, given the fact that recommendations essentially emerge from a single study which has important methodological differences and results that are inconsistent with the conclusions of other studies. This has determined that important scientific institutions such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Latin American Society of Hypertension (LASH) do not adhere to the recommendations of the AHA/ACC and follow the previous guidelines. In general, the LASH recommendations for the diagnosis and management of preeclampsia are similar to the new AHA/ACC guidelines, with the exception that, according to the latter, a woman would be considered hypertensive if she gets pregnant with BP values over 130/80 mm Hg. At the moment, no Gynecology and Obstetrics society has acted. Based on this review, and answering to the question in the title, we believe that there is no rational reason to change the current criteria that define the diagnosis and management of preeclampsia and hypertension in a pregnant woman, and therefore the new definitions of hypertension of the AHA/ACC guidelines will have no impact on the management of preeclampsia.