Active clinical trials for "Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced"

STEP-UP will promote linkage to primary care and ongoing chronic disease evaluation for postpartum women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and/or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).

The goal of this randomized clinical trial study is to test the potential benefits of eHealth-assisted follow-up after pregnancy complications that confer and increased risk for premature cardiovascular (CV) disease. The overarching aim is to improve short- and long-term CV health in women following pregnancy complications associated with increased risk of CV disease (hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and gestational diabetes). The investigators will develop and test a novel, personalized and user co-designed digital eHealth companion ("app") and test the app in a clinical randomized control trial. The group randomized to app use will get access to the app prior to delivery or within the first weeks postpartum, whereas the control group will not get access to the app, but receive ordinary follow-up. Both groups are invited to a comprehensive cardiovascular follow-up 14-18 months post delivery. The primary objective is to assess whether the rate of 1-year postpartum follow-up at the general practitioner's is increased with MumCare app access. Secondary objectives are to assess: expectations of (and satisfaction with) postpartum eHealth-assisted technologies, if health perception, sense of empowerment, quality of life, modifiable risk factors for CV disease (including hypertension, dyslipidemia, blood sugar control, smoking, weight), CV findings (including non-invasive hemodynamics) and biomarkers are affected by MumCare app use.

Cardiovascular disease and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Postpartum, in office care has demonstrated to be an insufficient model of hypertensive management postpartum, largely due to barriers that women face in accessing in office care, with stark racial disparities in access. The care of postpartum patients with HDP following delivery is made up of either a single postpartum visit at 6 weeks postpartum or a fragmented and non-standardized series of in-person appointments depending on the patients' medical complications and the clinicians' experience. Further, current society guidelines outline inpatient thresholds for initiation of antihypertensive medication but do not provide recommendations for titration thereafter. The proposed study will investigate the acceptability and effectiveness of an algorithm-based, outpatient treatment model for the management of postpartum hypertension utilizing an asynchronous text-based platform as compared to the standard of care for postpartum women with a diagnosis of Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy at Massachusetts General Hospital.

This study will compare blood vessel and hormone differences between women who have a history of a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia or high blood pressure, and women who have a history of uncomplicated pregnancy in the last 10 years. The investigators hypothesize that postpartum women with history of preeclampsia will have altered blood vessel function and abnormal hormone levels compared with postpartum women with history of uncomplicated pregnancy. This study will take place over the course of 2 weeks. Each subject will be assessed on a fixed low-salt diet and a fixed high-salt diet. Subjects will have 2 non-invasive blood vessel imaging tests and fasting blood draws.

The PKUBC-T is a prospective cohort study carried out in Tongzhou district of Beijing, China. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the short-term and long-term effects of pre-pregnant and prenatal exposure on maternal and child health. Data are collected regarding environmental, nutritional and lifestyle exposures as well as short-term and long-term health outcomes of mothers and their children from birth to 6 years old. Biological samples including blood and tissue samples are also collected from mothers and their children.

The target population for our study is healthy nulliparous pregnant women (first pregnancy) between the 12-16 week of pregnancy. If a subject is eligible, written consent will be obtained by person to person contact. Eligible participants will be randomized to receive either daily L-citrulline supplementation or placebo.

Antihypertensive therapy has been used in pregnant patients antepartum to improve blood pressure (BP) elevation in cases of chronic hypertension, and postpartum for persistent hypertension after delivery in cases of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, as well as for management of chronic hypertension. There is limited evidence regarding the precise BP level at which antihypertensive therapy is indicated during pregnancy for chronic hypertension. Treatment has been suggested in pregnant patients when systolic BP is ≥ 160 mmHg and at a lower diastolic BP threshold of 105 mm Hg, however some providers may initiate therapy at systolic BPs ≥ 150 mmHg. Nifedipine is a peripheral arterial vasodilator and an ideal first line antihypertensive agent due to its low maternal side-effect profile. It has been proven to be safe in pregnancy. Conventional nifedipine can be started at 10 mg twice daily with a maximum dose of 120 mg/d, but frequently extended release tablets are preferred due to steady blood pressure control with once daily administration. It is frequently used however as a twice daily dosing as many providers have noticed an increase in the BPs 12-24h from administration. Twice daily dosing might produce overlapping profiles that prevent elevation of BP at the time of the next administration and breakthrough elevations throughout the day in pregnant women. The aim of this study is to investigate the mean plasma levels and standard deviations of Procardia at 24h after Procardia XL is administered as a 60 mg daily dose and the mean plasma levels after it is given as a 30 mg twice-daily dose. This will be a pilot study for a future randomized control trial that will allow the researchers to determine whether 60 mg daily of Procardia XL is equivalent to 30 mg twice daily. Secondary outcome will be effective control of BP throughout the day (0h, 4h, 8h, 12h, 16h, 20h and 24h) defined as BPs below 160/105 as well as side effects of nifedipine as reported by patients.

The complications of long-standing severe and acute severe elevations in systemic blood pressure (hypertension) may involve large vessels as well as smaller vessels, these latter comprising what is known as the microcirculation. Diseases of the microcirculation include stroke, dementia, and end stage renal disease to name a few. The microcirculation of the brain (and kidneys) possess a reflex called autoregulation that protects the downstream organ from fluctuations in blood pressure and blood flow. The neurosensory retina of the eye is a forward extension of brain and has a similar microcirculation to that of brain, including the presence of blood retinal barriers and the ability to autoregulate. One of the consequences of very severe hypertension is breakthrough of the autoregulatory reflex with hyperperfusion injury and edema formation. Currently, physicians and scientists have no tools to visualize or measure the human microcirculation or the autoregulatory reflex. SD-OCT is an advanced imaging technology that has a spatial resolution 1000-10,000 times greater than CT or MRI. It is the standard of care for identification and follow-up of structural diseases of the eye. The question this research proposal attempts to answer is whether SD-OCT is able to detect edema or other evidence of structural damage in the eyes in patients in the midst of, or following an episode of very severe hypertension. Pregnant women were chosen to be the focus of this study because: 1) pregnant women are generally young and would be expected to possess a normal microcirculation, 2) the occurrence of new-onset hypertension in pregnancy is high, occurring in 5-10% of all pregnancies, 3) there are established prediction rules that allow one to select and compare women at high- or low-risk of developing hypertension in pregnancy, and finally 4) the spectrum of hypertensive injury in pregnancy ranges from minor elevations in systemic blood pressures to eclampsia, the most severe, life-threatening form of hypertensive injury possible. All this is occurs within a 9-month time window defining human pregnancy. Thus, the investigators are proposing to examine the eyes of women using SD-OCT at low- and high-risk of developing hypertension in pregnancy to determine if, when and how this injury is occurring and its relationship to blood pressures.

The main purpose of this study is to learn if incorporating a loop diuretic such as furosemide along with labetalol in the routine management of postpartum gestational hypertensive disorders could lower the need for additional anti-hypertensive agents to control blood pressures, improve blood pressures (as measured by systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial blood pressures), shorten hospital stays and decrease readmissions for patients with gestational hypertensive disorders. Based on a study by Veena et al1, there is reason to believe that the addition of furosemide to other anti-hypertensives may help decrease the need to add or increase the dose of medication to control blood pressures. There may be potential to shorten hospital stays and decrease readmissions, as well. Collecting data will be done using a prospective, randomized 1:1 controlled study assigning postpartum patients with a gestational hypertensive diagnosis to either labetalol alone or labetalol plus furosemide. The study will be performed in the postpartum wing of Miami Valley Hospital Main Campus and would use patients who have consented to participate in the study with enrollees coming from the OB Staff population.

This study is a pilot, open-label, randomized controlled trial of postpartum women with hypertensive disorders pregnancy and persistent non-severe blood pressure. The purpose of the study to provide data that may provide guidance regarding blood pressure management of patients with non-severe postpartum hypertension. There are limited guidelines for best practice with persistent, non-severe hypertension, and treatment in this situation is usually at the provider's discretion.