[Hypertension and pregnancy].

5-10% of all pregnancies are complicated by high blood pressure; in 70% of cases there are no signs until 20 weeks of gestation; 30% are seen in women with preexisting hypertension. Pre-eclampsia (proteinuric hypertension) is one of the most severe diseases in pregnancy. Maternal mortality and morbidity are high. The outcome of pregnancies with preexisting (mainly essential) hypertension is much worse than that of acute hypertension and depends on duration and severity of the disease. Often chronic hypertension develops from acute hypertension in pregnancy. This article describes the various types of hypertension in pregnancy, diagnosis, complications and management strategies.