UPMC Magee (Credit: UPMC)
Women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (both preeclampsia and gestational hypertension) often continue to have high blood pressure after delivery, which can increase the risk of seizures, strokes and even maternal death in the postpartum period.
THE PROBLEM
UPMC and University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences knew that understanding the trajectory of blood pressure decline after a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy might be important to preventing these complications.
Prior work has relied on women coming into the office for a blood pressure check to determine how high blood pressure resolves in the postpartum period.
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Washington, DC Blood pressure that remains elevated over of time known as chronic hypertension has been linked to heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Recent research has shown that persistent high blood pressure may also increase the risk for stroke and overall mortality. Yet, only about 1 in 4 adults with chronic hypertension have their condition under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a new study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh will unveil findings that suggest that women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy and who continue to have elevated blood pressure postpartum are at an increased risk for developing chronic hypertension.
Courtesy of Tyarra Kelly
Courtesy of UPMC
Dr. Alisse Hauspurg is assistant professor at the Pitt School of Medicine and a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital
Courtesy of Tyarra Kelly
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Lying on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance was when the severity of the moment hit Tyarra Kelly.
It was 3 a.m.
Her blood pressure was high.
The new mom hadn’t been feeling well five days after her son Tristan’s birth seven months ago.
“I was having trouble sleeping. So, being a health care worker, I decided to take my blood pressure,” the Monroeville resident said. “It was high for me so I decided to go UPMC East, which was close by. The doctor told me I had high blood pressure and I needed to go to the hospital. I told him I would drive there, and he said, ‘no, you could have a seizure. I am calling an ambulance.’ Being in