South Middlesex Times

Rutgers Health researchers have found that hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are strongly associated with fatal cardiovascular disease for up to a year after birth.

Among the hypertensive disorders that cause dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy — chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia without severe features, preeclampsia with severe features, superimposed preeclampsia and eclampsia — all but gestational diabetes were associated with a doubling in the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease compared to women with normal blood pressure.

Eclampsia, a condition whereby hypertensive disorders cause seizures, was associated with a nearly 58-fold increase in fatal cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology.

Lead author Rachel Lee, a data analyst at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, highlighted the importance of the study's findings, stating, "Maternal and postpartum mortality rates in the U.S. are higher than in other high-income countries and rising, but more than half of cardiovascular disease-related deaths are preventable." Lee emphasized the need for closer monitoring of patients with hypertensive disorders during and after pregnancy to develop strategies for their postpartum health.

The study, which utilized the Nationwide Readmissions Database, analyzed pregnancy-related mortality rates for females aged 15 to 54 from 2010 to 2018. The data revealed a concerning trend as the prevalence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy increased over the study period from 9.4 percent in 2010 to 14.4 percent in 2018.

Cande Ananth, chief of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and senior author of the study, acknowledged the improvements in diagnosing and treating preeclampsia but raised concerns about the rise in chronic hypertension cases. Ananth noted, "Cases of chronic hypertension are rising sharply among people of childbearing age, but optimal treatment strategies remain uncertain."

The researchers stressed the importance of early identification and optimal treatment of hypertensive disorders, particularly preeclampsia-eclampsia, to prevent maternal stroke. They also called for guidelines for ongoing care for up to one year after delivery for each hypertensive disorder to ensure the well-being of pregnant individuals with these conditions.