Published in:
01-07-2021 | Care | Viewpoint
Preventing Chronic Diseases After Complicated Pregnancies in the COVID-19 Era: a Call to Action for PCPs
Authors:
Mara E. Murray Horwitz, MD, MPH, Rose L. Molina, MD, MPH, Tracy A. Battaglia, MD, MPH
Published in:
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|
Issue 7/2021
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Excerpt
Pregnancy complications affect up to one in three pregnancies and are increasingly linked to future chronic disease.
1 For example, preeclampsia is associated with a doubled risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD),
1 the leading cause of death in the USA, and gestational diabetes is associated with a 7-fold increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
2 Guidelines recommend preventive care starting within the first postpartum year to address such pregnancy-related health risks.
2, 3 Unfortunately, the connections between pregnancy health and future health are often neglected. Only half of patients successfully transition to primary care in the year after a medically complicated pregnancy
4; of those who do, a small minority receive care informed by their pregnancy complication.
5 Missed opportunities to address pregnancy-related chronic disease risk not only threaten individuals’ wellbeing; they perpetuate long-term health inequities. Black, Hispanic, and low-income patients experience a double burden with higher rates of pregnancy complications and lower rates of postpartum follow-up, when compared with non-Hispanic White or higher-income patients.
4 …