PREDICTION OF GESTATIONAL HYPERTENSION BY COSINOR ANALYSIS OF 2ND TRIMESTER BLOOD-PRESSURE

Objective. We evaluated the efficacy of cosinor analysis of blood pres sure (BP) at the second trimester in predicting the subsequent develop ment of gestational hypertension. Study design. We performed the cosin or analysis of BP in 313 normotensive non-proteinuric nulliparous wome n at the second trimester. We followed the pregnancy up to delivery an d recorded the subsequent occurrence of gestational hypertension (sGH) . We compared data from this group of 33 patients with those from the 280 women with uncomplicated normotensive pregnancy. We used the ANOVA to compare the means, statistical significance was assessed at p < .0 5. Results. Diastolic MESOR of women with uncomplicated pregnancy was significantly lower than the GH patients, although both groups were de finitely normotensive at the time of the recording. (Diastolic: Contro ls M = 62.2 +/- 1.5, A = 5.1 +/- 0.7, O = 14.07, p = .0001; sGH M = 73 .5 +/- 6.2m, A = 5.9 +/- 1.1, O = 14:48, p =. 003; Systolic: Controls M = 108.3 +/- 2.2, A = 5.2 +/- 0.7, Q = 15:00, p = .0001; sGH M = 122. 4 +/- 2.1, A = 4.1 +/- 0.8, & = 15:59, p =.01) We did not find any oth er significant difference among the population-mean cosinors. The most sensitive cutoff of diastolic blood pressure MESOR proved to be 68 mm Hg.