Chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease among pregnant women were associated with negative health outcomes in both mothers and newborns.
Older Adults With Chronic Conditions Have Reduced Quality of Life
Although common and costly, many chronic diseases are preventable. Chronic diseases are linked to lifestyle choices that are within your own hands to change.
Although common and costly, many chronic diseases are preventable. Chronic diseases are linked to lifestyle choices that are within your own hands to change.
‘Screening for chronic conditions and interventions can help pregnant mothers take essential precautions both during pregnancy and for the long term.’
Although frequency of these conditions increased over time among every socio-economic group studied, the largest spikes occurred among women from rural and low income communities and among patients with deliveries funded by Medicaid. The findings were published in The Green Journal, the official publication of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
"Chronic conditions that increase the risk of adverse health outcomes for moms and their newborns are increasingly prevalent among childbearing women," says lead author Lindsay Admon, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist at Michigan Medicine and clinician-scholar at the University of Michigan's Institute of Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
India's First Ever 'Center for Control of Chronic Conditions' in New Delhi
It is a partnership between Delhi's AIIMS, US-based Emory University, London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Public Health Foundation of India.
It is a partnership between Delhi's AIIMS, US-based Emory University, London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Public Health Foundation of India.
The research stems from stunning reports over recent years finding that the U.S. continues to defy global trends as one of the only developed countries with a rising maternal mortality rate. The most common cause of maternal death in the country is now complications occurring as a result of a mother's pre-existing, chronic condition (such conditions are attributed to half of all maternal deaths in the U.S.).
Advertisement
Higher Levels of Weekly Physical Activity Shown To Lower Risk of Five Chronic Conditions
A total level of 3000-4000 MET minutes of physical activity per week was required to potentially achieve larger reductions in the risk of five chronic diseases
A total level of 3000-4000 MET minutes of physical activity per week was required to potentially achieve larger reductions in the risk of five chronic diseases
Though less common, cases involving multiple pre-existing, chronic conditions increased from 5 to 8 per 1,000 deliveries over the same period.
Advertisement
Higher Rates of Chronic Conditions at Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis
Smoking, obesity, low vitamin D and low omega-3 fatty acids are the common risk factors for hypertension, depression and multiple sclerosis.
Smoking, obesity, low vitamin D and low omega-3 fatty acids are the common risk factors for hypertension, depression and multiple sclerosis.
"These findings highlight stark and growing health disparities in maternal health."
Among the most concerning trends was the increase in substance-abuse disorders. Among all deliveries in 2005-06, substance abuse was identified in 13 per 1,000 hospitalizations, compared to 20 per 1,000 in 2013-14.
For rural women, that rise was far more dramatic: It increased from 11 to 25 per 1,000 deliveries.
As the nation faces an opioid epidemic, Admon says more resources must be devoted to addressing substance abuse, particularly for childbearing women in rural communities that often do not have the same access to care for substance use disorders as urban areas.
The new study underscores the need to address pre-existing conditions among childbearing women during prenatal care, Admon says. She notes for women who are on Medicaid, which finances half of all births in the United States, insurance coverage usually lasts from conception to 60 days postpartum.
"During prenatal care, we have the unique opportunity to have frequent contact with a patient throughout her pregnancy and postpartum recovery. Ideally, in addition to addressing obstetric care, we can also use this time to help her optimize her long term health," Admon says. "This is especially important for the growing segment of the population with chronic conditions and among those who may lose insurance coverage between pregnancies."
Admon notes that having conditions such as diabetes and hypertension under control not only benefits women but their newborns who as a result also are at an increased risk of adverse outcomes, including poor growth, pre-term delivery and stillbirth.
In 2005, 23 mothers per 100,000 live births died from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth in the U.S. In 2015, that number rose to 25. That compares to less than nine deaths per 100,000 births in the United Kingdom and less than 7 in Canada.
"We wanted to better understand the trends, prevalence and socio-economic distribution of chronic conditions among women giving birth in the United States to help providers and policymakers better take care of this population," Admon says. "In describing what populations are more likely to have certain conditions, we can better understand where interventions may have the most impact."
Physicians should seek to diagnose and address chronic conditions as early as possible, Admon says.
"As maternal health providers, we need to be aware of the increasing burden of chronic conditions complicating our patients' pregnancies and deliveries. That means actively screening for these conditions and educating our patients about optimal management both during pregnancy and for the long term," she says.
"Identifying and managing chronic conditions at the beginning of a pregnancy gives women the best chance of having a healthy pregnancy and the outcome we always strive for -- a healthy mom and healthy baby."
Source-Eurekalert
