Frequency of Hypertension Associated with Pregnancy among The Pregnant Women Attending Maternal and Child Care Centers in Belbeis City.

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a major cause of maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity, and affect approximately 8% of all pregnancies. Objective: To identity frequency of hypertension among pregnant women attending (MCH) centers in Belbeis city and to identify probable factors associated with hypertension. Method: A cross–sectional study included 554 pregnant women after 20 weeks of gestation enrolled from 2 rural primary heath care centers in Belbeis City (Sharkia governorate) during the period from the first of September 2014, to end of April 2015. Results: The study revealed that, the percentage of hypertension among pregnant women was 4.5% and there were no cases of preeclampsia. The significant risk factors predisposing to development of hypertension during pregnancy were age of mother, smoking, family size, obesity, presence of diabetes mellitus, renal diseases and history of hypertension in previous pregnancy. By logistic regression only age of mother was independent predictor of hypertension in pregnant mother. Recommendation: The health care physicians in the (MCH) Centers should increase their efforts to provide the high risk pregnant women as early as possible with proper antenatal care and management of hypertension during pregnancy.