Study on ocular fundus changes in pregnancy induced hypertension in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) is one of the leading causes of perinatal mortality and morbidity. The retinal vascular changes correlate with the severity of systemic hypertension hence fundus examination in PIH may give a clue about severity of disease. This study was done to know the prevalence of fundus changes in PIH patients.Materials and Methods: All the patients who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled for this cross sectional, observational study. Detailed history was taken and ocular examinations was done. Fundus changes were graded according to Keith Wagner and Barker (KWB) classification. The results were presented in Microsoft excel and analyzed. Results: Among 82 PIH cases, 46 were classified as gestational hypertension, 23 had mild PIH. Amongst all the PIH cases examined 48 patients showed no fundus changes whereas 34 patients had retinopathy changes.Conclusion: Severe form of preeclmpsia and eclampsia had advanced grades of retinopathy changes. Retinal examination reveals important objective information related to PIH also helps in their accurate diagnosis so plays a vital role in the management of PIH.