Pregnancy-induced hypertension: roles of calcium and nitric oxide

Patricio López-Jaramillo; Camilo Félix; César Ruano; Andrés Calle; Francisco Delgado; Carolina Sosa; José Rivera; Mónica de Félix; Patricio Jácome; Enrique Terán

	Printable version
	Version PDF

Pregnancy-induced hypertension: roles of calcium and nitric oxide

Cahiers d'études et de recherches francophones / Santé . Volume 3, Number 2, 87-97, Mars-Avril 1993, Synthèse

Résumé

Summary

Author(s) : Patricio López-Jaramillo, Camilo Félix, César Ruano, Andrés Calle, Francisco Delgado, Carolina Sosa, José Rivera, Mónica de Félix, Patricio Jácome, Enrique Terán, Unidad de metabolismo mineral, Facultad de ciencias médicas, Universidad central del Ecuador, P.O. Box 1721 1060, Quito, Ecuador, Coordinación de investigaciones, Hospital ginetico-obstetrico Isidro Ayora, Quito, Ecuador, División de investigaciones médico-sociales, Ministerio de salud publica, Quito, Ecuador..

Summary : Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is a cause of low birth weight and both maternal and infantile death world wide. This article reviews work suggesting that dietary calcium supplementation can sharply reduce the incidence of PIH in women whose diet is calcium-poor. It also describes physiologic conditions prevailing during pregnancy that could explain the role of calcium in PIH, together with the potential benefits of calcium in the setting. Adequate dietary calcium intake maintains the levels of ionized calcium within the narrow physiological range, and this is crucial for the synthesis of nitric oxide in the vascular endothelium. Calcium appears to be responsible for maintaining the vasodilatation that characterizes normal pregnancy.

ARTICLE

Voir version pdf