Prevalence and Significance of Fundus Assessment in Pregnancy Induced Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: To determine the prevalence of retinal changes in pregnancy-induced Hypertension (PIH) and their association with retinal changes and blood pressure (BP), proteinuria, and disease severity. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study of individuals with PIH was conducted from October 2023 to Jan 2024. Age, gravida, BP, and proteinuria were recorded. Both Anterior segment and fundus examinations were performed. Results: This study included one hundred three patients (21-45 years) with PIH. The gestation period ranged from 25-41 weeks: 43.7% were primigravida, 38.8% had pre-eclampsia, 59.2% had severe pre-eclampsia, and 1.9% had eclampsia. Hypertensive Retinopathy (HTR) changes were seen in 67.9%, with Grade 1 changes in 59.2% and Grade 2 in 8.7%. In our study 35(33.9%) had BP <150/100 mm hg of which 02 (5.71%) had grade 1 HTR, 7 (6.7%) had BP <160/110 mm hg and all of them (100%) had Grade 1 HTR and those with BP >160/110mmhg were 61(59.22%), of which 52 (85.23%) showed grade 1 HTR and 09 (14.8%) Grade 2 HTR. Statistically significant positive associations were found between retinal changes and BP (P=0.000), proteinuria (P=0.000), and severity of the PIH (P=0.000). Conclusion: Retinal changes (grade I and II HTR) were present in 67.96% of patients with PIH, with significant association with blood pressure, proteinuria and severity of the disease. fundoscopic examination proves to be an essential clinical tool in evaluating and managing PIH. Fundus examination serves as an essential tool for assessing the severity of PIH.