Alteration of skin laser-Doppler flux response to local cooling in gestational hypertension.

PURPOSE

The pathophysiology of the pregnancy-induced hypertension is still poorly understood, especially with regard to the central autonomic nervous system control and peripheral vascular factors.

METHODS

Our study therefore aimed to investigate simultaneously the responses of blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and laser-Doppler (LD) flux to local cooling in healthy non-pregnant women (N = 12), in pregnant women with normal pregnancy (N = 16) and in women with gestational hypertension (N = 10).

RESULTS

The direct and indirect LD flux responses to local cold exposure were diminished in normotensive pregnant females (Dunnett's test, p < 0.05) when compared to non-pregnant females with normal menstrual cycle, but not in females with pregnancy-induced hypertension. In addition, blood pressure increased and heart rate decreased during cold exposure only in normotensive pregnant females, but not in pregnant hypertensive females (paired t test, p < 0.05). Simultaneously calculated heart rate variability total power of HRV and LF power values typically increased during local cold provocation test in non-pregnant females and in normotensive pregnant females (paired t test, p < 0.05). In hypertensive pregnant females HRV indices remained unchanged.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that the cardiovascular reactivity adaptation seen in normal pregnancy is absent in gestational hypertension.