US task force calls for hypertension screening in all pregnancies

All pregnant women should be screened for hypertension at every prenatal visit to prevent serious complications such as gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, and chronic hypertension with superimposed pre-eclampsia, says a draft recommendation from the US Preventive Services Task Force.12

The task force, an independent non-governmental organisation, said that the draft report “is intended to help healthcare decision makers—patients and clinicians, health system leaders, and policy makers, among others—make well informed decisions and thereby improve the quality of healthcare services.”

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy can lead to stroke, retinal detachment, organ damage or failure, and seizures, as well as problems for the infant such as low birth weight or stillbirth.

Esa Davis, a task force …