engleski

Dietary salt intake in pregnancy and hypertensive pregnancy disorders – narrative review

Salt is crucial for human health, but it`s excess is associated with the development of many diseases including arterial hypertension which is a major feature of hypertensive pregnancy disorders (HPDs). Maternal nutrition during pregnancy can affect cardiometabolic disease development during pregnancy and later in life, but it can also affect fetal growth and disease development in adulthood. Recent studies suggest that excessive salt intake often combined with low potassium intake throughout pregnancy, can suppress renin- angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) with adverse effects on fetoplacental development and can increase the risk of HPDs. Although salt restriction has been considered potentially harmful in the nonpharmacological treatment of arterial hypertension in pregnancy and current guidelines do not recommend it during pregnancy to prevent HPDs, especially gestational hypertension and the development of preeclampsia, its role should be reconsidered in light of the recent evidence. However, one key question remains: How much salt, upper and lower limit of daily intake, in a balanced diet is not harmful in uncomplicated pregnancies as well as HPDs in general?

hypertension ; pregnancy ; hypertensive pregnancy disorders ; preeclampsia ; salt

nije evidentirano