(WFXR) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report that showed an increase in hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP).
According to the report, HDP increased from about 13% in 2917 to 16% in 2019, which affected one in seven hospital deliveries. Health officials say that this disorder is common but can cause complications including heart attacks and strokes, which are the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the country. This can be from either pregnancy-associated hypertension or chronic hypertension.
“There are many strategies that clinicians can use to identify, monitor, and manage people with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy to prevent severe complications and deaths. A great example is home-monitoring of blood pressure during and following pregnancy,” said Janet Wright, M.D., F.A.C.C., director of CDC’s Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “At a systems level, intentional programming like Perinatal Quality Collaboratives can improve the quality of care and health outcomes and translate findings into interventions.”
Health officials say advanced maternal age, obesity, and diabetes all can increase a person’s risk for HDP. The CDC states that HDP is in women over 45 (31%) and in people who live in rural counties (16%), lower-income areas (16%), and delivered in hospitals in the South (16%) or Midwest (15%).
There are ways to prevent severe complications and deaths associated with HDP. Health officials say identifying, monitoring, and treating those with HDP, raising awareness of warning signs, and addressing severe hypertension.
