Pregnancy and heart disease

Maternal heart disease has emerged as a major threat to safe motherhood and women`s long-term cardiovascular health. In the United States, disease and dysfunction of the heart and vascular system as “cardiovascular disease” is now the leading cause of death in pregnant women and women in the postpartum period accounting for 4.23 deaths per 100,000 live births, a rate almost twice that of the United Kingdom. The most recent data indicate that cardiovascular diseases constitute 26.5% of U.S. pregnancy-related deaths. Of further concern are the disparities in cardiovascular disease outcomes, with higher rates of morbidity and mortality among nonwhite and lower-income women. Contributing factors include barriers to pre-pregnancy cardiovascular disease assessment, missed opportunities to identify cardiovascular disease risk factors during prenatal care, gaps in high-risk intrapartum care, and delays in recognition of cardiovascular disease symptoms during the puerperium. The purpose of this document is to explain the prevalence and effects of heart disease in pregnant and postpartum women.  Provide guidelines for prenatal and postpartum early identification and risk factor correction. Outline common cardiovascular diseases that cause morbidity and mortality during pregnancy and after childbirth. Explain existing or newly acquired recommendations for the care of pregnant and postnatal women with heart disease. Present a comprehensive intergestational care plan for women with heart disease. Cardiovascular disease affects about 1-4% of the pregnancies of nearly 4 million people in the United States each year. The frequency of pregnancy in women with congenital and acquired heart disease is increasing. In developed countries, the morbidity and mortality rates of pregnant women with congenital heart disease are relatively stable at 11% and 0.5%, respectively. However, in the United States, maternal congenital heart disease increased linearly significantly from 2000 to 2010 (6.4 to 9.0 per 10,000 hospitalizations for childbirth), and maternal mortality from acquired heart disease was high. It's still expensive. From 2002 to 2011, 22.2% of maternal deaths in Illinois were due to cardiovascular disease, of which 97.1% were due to acquired heart disease. This increasing trend in maternal mortality associated with cardiovascular disease may be due to acquired heart disease.