A patient with consistent blood pressures of 142/90 mm Hg at 8 weeks' gestation is suspected to have what condition?

A blood pressure reading of 142/90 mm Hg at 8 weeks' gestation suggests that the patient is experiencing chronic hypertension. Chronic hypertension is defined as high blood pressure that is present before pregnancy or that is diagnosed before 20 weeks' gestation. In this case, since the patient is only 8 weeks pregnant and has consistently elevated blood pressure readings, it indicates that their hypertension likely existed prior to conception, which is characteristic of chronic hypertension.

In contrast, gestational hypertension develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, so it would not apply here as the patient is still in the early stages of gestation. Preeclampsia, which is characterized by elevated blood pressure along with signs of organ dysfunction or protein in the urine, generally occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy, making it unlikely at 8 weeks. Superimposed preeclampsia occurs in individuals with chronic hypertension when they develop new-onset proteinuria or hypertension after 20 weeks, which again would not be the case for this patient at 8 weeks of gestation.