Role of Labetolol in hypertension in pregnancy in comparison with Nifedipine in terms of fetomaternal outcome

Background: Hypertensive disorders complicate 5-10% of all pregnancies and together they form one member of the deadly triad, along with haemorrhage and infection that contribute greatly to maternal morbidity and mortality rates. Materials and methods: Antihypertensive drugs taken into the study were Tab. Labetolol, 100-300 mg three times a daily, max dose 2400 mg per day and T. Nifedipine, 10 mg three times a day, max dose 120 mg per day. The study was a randomised control clinical trial, the study period started from Nov 2014 to June 2016, in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, KGH, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, India. Results: Age distribution, Gravidity, Gestational age at the time of admission, Distribution of cases as per type of hypertension, Duration of therapy before delivery in study group, Changes in blood pressure, Maternal side effects in the study group, Mode of delivery, APGAR score of the babies at the time of delivery were tabulated. Conclusion: Labetolol gave good control of BP with single agent, when the dose was titrated appropriately, till the BP was controlled. The control of BP was consistent with labetolol, and also could be used for longer duration without any additional therapy whereas with nifedipine, control of BP was inconsistent and required additional medication for proper control of BP.