Which finding defines gestational hypertension?

• A. Chronic hypertension
• B. Hypertension after 20 weeks gestation with no proteinuria
• C. Hypertension with proteinuria
• D. Eclampsia

Answer: (B)

Gestational hypertension is new-onset high blood pressure that develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy in a person who previously had normal blood pressure and who does not have protein in the urine. The absence of proteinuria differentiates it from preeclampsia, which requires hypertension plus proteinuria or end-organ dysfunction. It’s also distinct from chronic hypertension, which is present before pregnancy or before 20 weeks’ gestation, and from eclampsia, which involves seizures related to severe preeclampsia. Clinically, a blood pressure of roughly 140/90 or higher on two occasions is often used to diagnose hypertension in pregnancy.