AUTOMATED BLOOD-PRESSURE MEASUREMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF PROTEINURIC PREECLAMPSIA

Objectives To investigate the relation between antenatal clinic, obste tric day unit and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements and 2 4-hour proteinuria levels in hypertensive pregnancies. Design An obser vational study. Participants Forty-eight women presenting with new hyp ertension after 20 weeks of gestation. Results The closest relation wa s found between ambulatory blood pressure measurements and 24-hour pro teinuria levels. No significant relation was found between the convent ional diastolic blood pressure threshold of 90 mmHg and 24-hour protei nuria levels. Conclusions Ambulatory blood pressure measurement gives better information about disease status in pre-eclampsia as assessed b y proteinuria than does conventional sphygmomanometry.