COMPARISON OF THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF METHYLDOPA AND LABETALOL IN PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69723/njms.04.04.0647Keywords:
Blood Pressure, Labetalol, Methyldopa, Pregnancy Induce HypertensionAbstract
Background: Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) affects around 10% pregnancies, leading to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.
Objectives: This study explores the efficacy of methyldopa and labetalol in the management of PIH.
Methodology: This study was conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, Health Ways Hospital, Kohat, from September 2024 to April 2025. After ethical approval, 200 PIH patients (100 in each group), aged between 20-35 years with gestational age >20 weeks and blood pressure ≥140/90mmHg were enrolled. The methyldopa group was prescribed methyldopa 250 mg thrice daily, while the labetalol group received Labetalol 100 mg thrice daily. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. A paired sample t-test was employed to find the mean difference in blood pressure between each group. Independent sample t-test was used to find the statistical differences between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in both groups
Results: There were significant reductions in both SBP and DBP at the 1st and 2nd follow-ups in both methyldopa and labetalol group with p-values <0.001. The independent sample t-test shows that the SBP at 1st follow-up and 2nd follow-up in the labetalol group was significantly reduced compared to the methyldopa group, with p-values of 0.03 at the first follow-up and < 0.001 at the second follow-up. Regarding, the DBP reduction, while no significant differences were evident between groups at the first follow-up, the labetalol group showed a significant reduction in DBP at the second follow-up, with a p-value of 0.01
Conclusion: Both methyldopa and labetalol significantly reduce both SBP and DBP in PIH. However, in comparison, labetalol reduction in blood pressure is significantly higher as compared of methyldopa.
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