Cardiology: hypertension in pregnancy: practice question

The best answer is C, Enalapril. ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers are contraindicated in pregnancy because they cause fetal renal dysgenesis, oligohydramnios, skull hypoplasia and neonatal renal failure.

Methyldopa has a long safety record in pregnancy.

Labetalol is a standard safe choice in pregnancy.

Nifedipine is an accepted first-line agent.

It tests Cardiology: hypertension in pregnancy in General Medicine. Labetalol, methyldopa and nifedipine are the usual safe agents. Magnesium sulfate is added for severe pre-eclampsia.

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

For each disease know the classic presentation, the best test, and the first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other General Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.