Liu CH, Zhang HY, Wang F, Mu SS, Wen FY. Anxiety and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: Epidemiology, mechanisms, and management strategies. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(6): 105944 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i6.105944]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Feng-Yun Wen, Department of Obstetrics, Jiaozhou Central Hospital of Qingdao, No. 99 Yunxi River South Road, Jiaozhou, Qingdao 266300, Shandong Province, China. mier216108@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychology, Clinical
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Chun-Hua Liu, Hai-Yan Zhang, Fang Wang, Sha-Sha Mu, Feng-Yun Wen, Department of Obstetrics, Jiaozhou Central Hospital of Qingdao, Qingdao 266300, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Liu CH wrote the main manuscript; Zhang HY, Wang F, and Mu SS performed the data collection; All authors analyzed and interpreted the results, reviewed the results, approved the final version of the manuscript, and were informed of each step of manuscript processing including submission and revisions.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Feng-Yun Wen, Department of Obstetrics, Jiaozhou Central Hospital of Qingdao, No. 99 Yunxi River South Road, Jiaozhou, Qingdao 266300, Shandong Province, China. mier216108@163.com
Received: March 5, 2025 Revised: March 25, 2025 Accepted: April 25, 2025 Published online: June 19, 2025 Processing time: 85 Days and 2.1 Hours
Abstract
This article comprehensively explores the relationship between anxiety and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), covering epidemiology, potential mechanisms, and management strategies. HDP is the second leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, encompassing subtypes such as gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia. Research indicates that anxiety is closely associated with the occurrence of HDP, potentially influencing blood pressure regulation and vascular function through neuroendocrine, inflammatory, genetic, and gut microbiota effects. Epidemiological data show that anxiety is prevalent during pregnancy and is linked to an increased risk of HDP. Biological mechanism studies reveal that anxiety can increase the risk of HDP by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, promoting inflammation, and affecting gut microbiota. In terms of treatment and management, psychological interventions (such as relaxation training, yoga, and mindfulness meditation) and pharmacological treatments (such as labetalol and nifedipine) play important roles in alleviating anxiety and improving the prognosis of HDP. Additionally, multidisciplinary collaboration and long-term postpartum follow-up are crucial for reducing the long-term risk of cardiovascular diseases. Despite significant progress in research on anxiety and HDP, many issues still require further exploration, including in-depth mechanism studies, optimization of clinical interventions, improvement of multidisciplinary collaboration models, long-term follow-up studies, and the impact of cultural and social factors.
Core Tip: This article examines how anxiety influences hypertensive disorders of pregnancy via neuroendocrine and inflammatory pathways. It highlights the importance of psychological interventions and multidisciplinary care in managing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, while emphasizing the need for further research on mechanisms, interventions, and long-term outcomes.
