Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Prevalence Up From 2017 to 2019

FRIDAY, April 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- During 2017 to 2019, there was an increase in the prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) among delivery hospitalizations, according to research published in the April 29 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Nicole D. Ford, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues calculated the annual prevalence of HDP among delivery hospitalizations and by maternal characteristics using data from the National Inpatient Sample.

The researchers found that the prevalence of HDP among delivery hospitalizations increased from 13.3 to 15.9 percent during 2017 to 2019. During the same period, the prevalence of pregnancy-associated hypertension increased from 10.8 to 13.0 percent and the prevalence of chronic hypertension increased from 2.0 to 2.3 percent. Among delivery hospitalizations, HDP prevalence was highest for non-Hispanic Black or African American women, non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native women, and women aged 35 years or older residing in zip codes in the lowest median household income quartile or delivering in hospitals in the South or the Midwest Census regions. Overall, 31.6 percent of deaths that occurred during delivery hospitalization had any HDP documented.

"Severe HDP-associated maternal complications and mortality are preventable with equitable implementation of public health and clinical strategies," the authors write. "These include efforts across the life course for preventing HDP, identifying, monitoring, and appropriately treating those with HDP with continuous and coordinated care, increasing awareness of urgent maternal warning signs, and implementing quality improvement initiatives to address severe hypertension."

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