Pregnancy Complications Rising in Black Women of Childbearing Age

Black women of childbearing age were twice as likely to have uncontrolled high blood pressure when compared with their white peers, increasing their risk of heart-related complications during pregnancy, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

High blood pressure is common, affecting 17.6% of women of childbearing age in the United States, and has increased in the past decade, according to the 2019 National Center for Health Statistics. Undetected and uncontrolled high blood pressure may lead to preeclampsia and eclampsia — potentially fatal conditions in which blood pressure spikes during pregnancy.

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‘Lack of access to adequate healthy food is one of the social factors that may cause high blood pressure among Black women.’

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The study by Massachusetts researchers examined social factors influencing blood pressure control by race and ethnicity among U.S. women of childbearing age with high blood pressure.

Although high blood pressure is a treatable, common chronic health condition, it is a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths and severe disease. The United States has much higher rates of pregnancy-related deaths than economically similar countries, and Black women are disproportionately affected.

Racial Disparities in Pregnancy-Related Complications

Previous research has indicated that Black, Hispanic, and Asian women face a higher risk of complications and stroke during childbirth, and Black and Hispanic women who develop pregnancy-induced high blood pressure are at least six times more likely to die than white women.

In this study, researchers reviewed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2018, which included 1,293 women of childbearing age, with an average age of 36 years, who had a diagnosis of hypertension with a blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg or a self-reported history of antihypertensive medication use.

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About 59% of the participants were white women, 23% were Black women, about 16% were Hispanic women and 1.7% were Asian women. About 20% of the participants had never been pregnant.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure was defined as a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher (the top number in a blood pressure reading) and a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher (the bottom number).

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Three consecutive blood pressure measurements were taken after five minutes of seated rest, with one minute in between measures, and the average was calculated. Women answered questions about their lifestyle, such as diet, exercise, smoking, and alcohol intake, and also access to health care, education, and blood pressure medication use.

Black Women Face High Risk of Pregnancy Complications

Social determinants of health factors examined in this study were education, income, food security, home ownership, language, and access to health insurance and medical care.

They found that black women of childbearing age with high blood pressure were more than twice as likely to have an uncontrolled high blood pressure than white women, and among those who were aware of their diagnosis, Black women were three times more likely to have uncontrolled blood pressure.

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The risk factors for high blood pressure persisted among Black women after considering social determinants of health. Black and Asian women had higher average blood pressure and were more likely to have an uncontrolled high blood pressure than white women; 38% and 36%, respectively, versus 25%.

Food insecurity was higher among Hispanic and Black women compared with white women, 32% and 25%, respectively, versus 13% among white women. Asian women were more often unaware of their high blood pressure and were more likely to have uncontrolled blood pressure compared with white women.

More study is needed, including an examination of structural racism and discrimination, to better understand why Black women of childbearing age face challenges in both food security and heart health.

Questions about food insecurity and healthcare access should be included in the standard screening questions at hospital or clinic visits, especially among pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant.

Source-Eurekalert