Blood pressure during pregnancy | Blood pressure

Blood pressure during pregnancy

Blood pressure should be closely monitored during pregnancy, as both permanently too low blood pressure and permanently too high blood pressure (gestational hypertension) can have a negative effect on mother and child. At the beginning of pregnancy, blood pressure drops because the body produces more progesterone and oestrogens, which relax the blood vessels to supply the uterus and embryo with oxygen and nutrients. The result is low blood pressure, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy.

In principle, this low blood pressure is harmless, but it should not permanently fall below 100/60 mmHg, as otherwise the uterus blood circulation is not sufficient to supply the child with sufficient oxygen and nutrients. Blood pressure should also not be too high during pregnancy. Values of over 140/90 mmHg are considered elevated and pregnancy hypertension is imminent If hypertension occurs before the 20th week of pregnancy, it has probably already existed before the pregnancy.

This suspicion is confirmed if the blood pressure remains high after pregnancy. About 15% of all pregnancies lead to hypertensive pregnancy disease. Pregnant women older than 40 years or with a multiple pregnancy are particularly at risk.

Permanently high blood pressure during pregnancy must be treated, as the risk of pre-eclampsia in women with gestational hypertension is 25%. In pre-eclampsia, in addition to abnormally high blood pressure, there is a loss of protein via the urine and water retention in the tissue. Pre-eclampsia is problematic because it can lead to serious complications such as eclampsia or HELLP syndrome in up to 0.5% of pregnant women. Too high blood pressure during pregnancy should therefore always be treated by a physician and in most cases can be adjusted by medication against high blood pressure so that there is no danger to mother and child.

Blood pressure in children

Blood pressure in children depends on age, sex and height, but other factors such as predisposition or body weight also play a role. Blood pressure in children is also measured with a cuff on the upper arm. In order not to falsify the results of the blood pressure measurement by the cuff being too large for adults, there are special blood pressure cuffs for children.

Newborns have an average blood pressure of 80/45 mmHg. In the course of development, blood pressure increases with age and reaches the optimum values for an adult at around 16-18 years of age, which are approximately 120/80 mmHg. An average five-year-old child has a blood pressure of about 95/55 mmHg, whereas a ten-year-old child already has values of 100/60 mmHg.

Twelve-year-olds have a blood pressure of about 115/60 mmHg, 16-year-old teenagers have a blood pressure of 120/60 mmHg, which is almost the optimal value for adults. The values given for children are, of course, only average values and can deviate up to 15 mmHg up or down, even without a disease value, depending on the child’s stage of development, height and weight. It is noticeable that especially young girls in their teens often have rather low blood pressure, but this has no disease value.