The rate of ischemic stroke is increasing among pregnant and postpartum women, a recent study found.
The study, published Feb. 2 in Stroke, analyzed more than 5.4 million pregnancies resulting in births between Jan. 1, 2016, and Jan. 1, 2024. Researchers used the Cosmos Epic database, which included electronic health records from more than 1,800 U.S. hospitals and 41,500 clinics. Maternal strokes were defined as any inpatient admission with a stroke diagnosis during pregnancy or within six weeks postpartum.
Here are five things to know from the study:
1. Stroke incidents occurred in 48.8 per 100,000 pregnancies.
2. Ischemic stroke was the most common at 53.6%, followed by hemorrhagic stroke at 40.7%.
3. Women who had strokes were older, more likely to be Black and had higher rates of pregnancy complications, such as hypertension, eclampsia, dyslipidemia and congenital heart disease.
4. Women who experienced strokes had higher mortality, more delivery complications, lower birth weight and longer neonatal hospital stays.
5. Recurrent stroke occurred in 14.7% of women with subsequent pregnancies.
“Maternal stroke, though rare, carries substantial risks,” the study authors wrote. “The increasing ischemic stroke trend warrants targeted prevention and multidisciplinary perinatal management.”
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