Blood pressure rises more in pre-eclampsia than normal pregnancy when acral skin is locally cooled

Abstract

Objective: Investigate blood pressure response to acral skin vasoconstriction in healthy and pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Methods: Healthy women were investigated from gestational week 8 to 52 weeks postpartum and pre-eclampsia subjects at diagnosis. Finger artery ultrasound Doppler, forearm laser Doppler fluximetry and photoplethysmographic blood pressure were recorded. Hand cooling to 19 °C induced vasoconstriction. Results: Acral skin vasoconstriction increases blood pressure from 16 weeks until 12 weeks postpartum (p ≤ 0.01), with greatest responses in pre-eclampsia (p = 0.047). Forearm skin perfusion is higher in pre-eclampsia (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Acral skin vasoconstriction raises blood pressure in pregnancy, particularly in pre-eclampsia. Pregnancy accentuates important functional differences within skin.

• Acral skin
• Blood pressure
• Pre-eclampsia.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following:

Professor Lars Walløe, Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway for the use of the departments’ laboratory facilities and equipment.

Dr T.K. Bergersen, Department of Dermatology, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway for supervision of the investigations.