Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Background: Hypertensive disorder of human pregnancy is one of the common and serious complication of pregnancy that affects both mother and baby. It is not only common and dangerous but also unpredictable in onset and progression and incurable except by termination of pregnancy. Fetus and neonates also are at increases risk from complication such as poor placental transfer of oxygen, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, placental abruption, still birth and neonatal death.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of two drugs, labetalol and methyldopa as an antihypertensive to control of blood pressure.

Methodology: A randomized controlled trial carried among 100 pregnant women pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) attending Obstetrics & Gynaecology, General Hospital Barisal, Bangladesh from January to June 2023. Total 100 patients includedin our study. 50 patients treated with tab. Labetalol (Group A) and 50 treated with tab. Methyldopa (Group B).

Results: Total 100 patients included in our study. Finding of the study showed mean age, gestational age and occupation did no differ significantly variation between Labetalol (group A) and Methyldopa (group B). Majority of the patients in group A and group B around 20-25 years. Mean age of patients in group B 25.42±3.92 years and 26.50±4.87 years in group A. Among 36% had gestational HTN, 62% had preeclampsia and 2% had eclampsia in group A. Labetalol treated group of patients showed significant fall from 143.50±7.30mmHg/101.30±3.93 (sytolic/diastolic) on 1st day to 126.10±5.49 mmHg/87.40±5.62 mmHg (sytolic/diastolic) on day 7, while systolic/diastolic BP in methyldopa group on 1st day was 145.20±7.17 mmHg/101.60±4.20 mmHg which was reduced to 129.20±4.86 mmHg/90.50±3.30 mmHg on day 7. Author found that MAP in Labetalol group reduced from 115.226±4.17 mmHg to 100.17±4.43 mmHg on day 7 while in Methyldopa group had MAP on admission 115.99±4.38 mmHg and on day 7 it reduced to 103.27±2.99mmHg which is highly significant.

Conclusions: It concluded that labetalol is more advantageous than methyldopa in terms of better and quicker control of blood pressure. The chances of normal vaginal delivery were greater in the labetalol group than in the methyldopa group. Safety profile and adverse effects of Labetalol and Methyldopa are similar to each other.