Health researchers are noticing a growing problem in American pregnancies: more cases of blood pressure so high it can be deadly for the parent and baby.<\/p>\n
U.S. rates of newly developed<\/a> and chronic maternal<\/a> high blood pressure skyrocketed from 2007 through 2019, and researchers say they haven\u2019t slowed down. Hospitals are working to adjust their standards of care to match best practices.<\/p>\n Sara McGinnis<\/strong> died as a result of her pregnancy in 2018. Her Kalispell, Montana, medical team didn\u2019t recognize her symptoms of rising high blood pressure: a severe headache, swollen body and fatigue beyond anything she\u2019d experienced in her first pregnancy. She suffered a massive stroke and seizure late in pregnancy and never got to meet her son, who survived an emergency delivery.<\/p>\n McGinnis had eclampsia<\/a>, a condition typically characterized by seizures late in pregnancy. The severe and sometimes deadly pregnancy complication generally develops from persistent high blood pressure. Rising blood pressure makes the heart work in overdrive, which damages organs along the way.<\/p>\n One reason for the big increase in cases is that more doctors are looking out for the condition. But that\u2019s not enough to explain the increase in the nation\u2019s overall maternal death rate<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lifestyle and genetic factors play a role, but physician and health researcher Natalie Cameron<\/strong>, with Northwestern University<\/strong>\u2019s Feinberg School of Medicine<\/strong>, said people who don\u2019t have risk factors going into pregnancy are also getting sick more often. More research is needed to understand why.<\/p>\n \u201cPregnancy is a natural stress test. It\u2019s unmasking this risk that was there all the time,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cAnd there\u2019s a lot we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n The federal government has worked for years to expand training in screening and treatment for severe high blood pressure in pregnancy. The nation\u2019s best-practice guidelines go back to 2015.<\/p>\n Last year, the federal government boosted funding for training to expand implementation of best practices.<\/p>\n \u201cSo much of the disparity in this space is about women\u2019s voices not being heard,\u201d said Carole Johnson<\/strong>, head of the federal agency charged with improving access to health care.<\/p>\n But it takes time for hospitals to incorporate those kinds of changes, researchers said.<\/p>\n Take Montana, for example, which last year became one of 35<\/strong> states to implement the federal patient safety guidelines. That year, more than two-thirds of hospitals in the state provided patients with timely care. Just over half of hospitals did so before the training.<\/p>\n Some hospitals had treatment plans for high blood pressure in pregnancy but found their doctors\u2019 use was \u201chit or miss.\u201d One health system found that even the way nurses checked pregnant patients\u2019 blood pressure varied.<\/p>\n Wanda Nicholson<\/strong>, who chairs the independent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force<\/strong>, said blood pressure in pregnancy \u201ccan change in a matter of days, or in a 24-hour period.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s why, she said, consistent monitoring for high blood pressure is key to keeping people safe.<\/p>\n This article is not available for syndication due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about the availability of this or other content for republication, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\nUSE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n