Over 14 years, there was a 76% increase in emergency department visits related to hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, an Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan study found.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed hypertensive disorders in pregnancy ED utilization between 2006 and 2020 using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. In that time frame, 656,711 hypertensive disorders in pregnancy ED visits occurred.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy include conditions such as preeclampsia, gestational hypertension and eclampsia. These conditions are the second leading cause of maternal deaths worldwide and account for 6.3% of all pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S.
"Ideally, this risk would be detected during prenatal care and lead to early intervention. Our study indicates more people turning to the emergency department, which may reflect a higher prevalence of the condition or an increased awareness for prompt assessment and treatment," senior author Erica Marsh, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Medical School and chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at U-M Health Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital, of Michigan Medicine, said in an Oct. 10 system news release.
Here are four findings:
- Researchers found a 76% increase in ED visits among people with this condition, going from 31,623 in 2006 to 55,893 in 2020.
- ED admissions also increased by 1.5 times — from 17,338 in 2006 to 43,563 in 2020.
- Black, Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander groups were more likely to visit the ED and be admitted for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
- Concerns over costs, time constraints and misconceptions about early care or barriers to prenatal care access may be factors that drive the increase, the study authors said.