Effect of isradipine on responses to standardized physical stress tests in hypertension of pregnancy.

Fourteen women with hypertension of pregnancy and who were in their last trimester were subjected to three standardized physical stress tests before and after 1-2 weeks of treatment with 5 mg of isradipine twice daily. Their blood pressure and heart rate responses to the isometric handgrip exercise, the cold pressor test, and the orthostatic tilt test were recorded. Treatment with isradipine reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressures significantly at rest. However, although the diastolic blood pressure was reduced during the stress tests, the decrease was significant only during cold pressor testing.