High blood pressure affects around 1 in 10 of all pregnant women. In some cases it leads to further problems in pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia and eclampsia [serious conditions that can be very dangerous, and sometimes fatal, for mothers and babies]. This research project will investigate the effectiveness and safety of labetol, a drug treatment that lowers blood pressure, for pregnant women who have mild to moderate high blood pressure. It will be carried out through a randomised, double blind placebo-controlled trial amongst 1600 pregnant women in the UK, Africa, Asia and South America. WellBeing is funding the UK trial centre that will also oversee the trials in Africa and Asia.

This project will:
1. Identify whether the treatment reduces the risk of pregnant women developing further problems such as pre-eclampsia
2.Investigate whether the treatment impairs the rate of babies' growth in the womb, an area of significant concern in terms of risk, but one where definitive evidence is lacking at present
3.Contribute to our understanding of how pre-eclampsia and eclampsia develop and of how high blood pressure may be managed to help avoid these serious risks to mothers and babies'

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