OHSU

CHIPS:  Control of Hypertension In Pregnancy Study

Clinical Trial Seeking Participants

IRB 7104 (PI: Jorge E. Tolosa, MD, MSCE)

The Maternal Fetal Medicine Research Unit is conducting a study to learn more about the treatment of non-severe hypertension during pregnancy.
The study is sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Trial Status:

Open to Enrollment

Why is this study being done?

High blood pressure (hypertension) in pregnancy can cause health problems for mothers and babies. Experts agree that blood pressure medication should be given to women who have persistent, severe hypertension in pregnancy, to protect them from having a stroke. However, there is no agreement about whether blood pressure medication should be given for non-severe hypertension in pregnancy. Guidelines for doctors in Canada have suggested that blood pressure should be made normal, but guidelines in the USA suggest that blood pressure should be treated only when it reaches severe levels (severe hypertension).

Some health care providers (physicians, midwives) give blood pressure medication because they believe that normalizing blood pressure is best for you and may be better for your baby. However, it is considered safe for blood pressure to be mild to moderately elevated for months to years, even when you are not pregnant, as long as you do not have pre-pregnancy diabetes or certain other health problems like kidney disease. In pregnancy, it is also safe for blood pressure to be mild to moderately elevated, and giving blood pressure medication has not been shown to prevent pre-eclampsia (toxemia of pregnancy). In addition, many women would prefer not to take antihypertensive therapy or any other medication during pregnancy.

Other health care providers (physicians, midwives) do not give blood pressure medication unless persistent severe hypertension develops because some studies suggest that blood pressure medication may result in poorer growth and well-being of your baby. The problem is that these studies are not strong enough to be relied upon, and health care providers remain very uncertain about how blood pressure medication may affect your baby.

In summary, we do not know which approach to treatment of non-severe high blood pressure in pregnancy is better for women and babies.

The purpose of this study is to determine:

Whether ‘less tight’ control (aiming for a diastolic blood pressure of 100 mmHg), compared with ‘tight’ control (aiming for a diastolic blood pressure of 85 mmHg), can decrease the risks of adverse baby outcomes without increasing the risk of problems for the mother. The diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number of the blood pressure reading.

Who is eligible to participate?

Women between the ages 18 – 44 who:

  • Have pre-existing or gestational hypertension
  • Office diastolic (lower number) BP 85-105mm Hg
  • A singleton pregnancy
  • Pregnancy between 14 and 33wk 6days

What is the compensation for this study?

There is no compensation for participation in this study.

Whom do I contact for more information?

To find out more information and to learn if you are qualified to participate, email our Research Coordinator, Monica Rincon, at rincon@ohsu.edu or call her at 503-494-8748.

Who do I contact for additional information?

To find out more information and to learn if you are qualified to participate, fill out the online form or call the Women’s Health Research Unit confidential recruitment line.

Complete the Online Form or call 503-494-3666