Preeclampsia is threatening the lives of pregnant women and their babies in Florida | Opinion
The prevalence of preeclampsia, a life-threatening hypertensive disorder of pregnancy that features high blood pressure, is rising in South Florida, posing a threat to many mothers and infants. As a labor and delivery nurse at Memorial Hospital Miramar, part of Memorial Healthcare System, I work to raise awareness about the fact that we are treating more and more cases of preeclampsia in our system.
Preeclampsia can occur as early as 20 weeks into a pregnancy and up to six weeks postpartum, creating dangers for the mom and her unborn baby. It’s the second-leading cause of pregnancy-related maternal deaths in Florida.
Throughout Memorial’s three birthing hospitals, preeclampsia affects an estimated 9.4% of maternity patients, more than double the national 30-year average for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy of 4.2%. On Sept. 10, our team is hosting a Promise Walk for Preeclampsia to benefit the mission of the Preeclampsia Foundation.
A recent generational study of 38 million pregnancies in the United States, published in JAMA Network Open, found that new-onset hypertensive disorders of pregnancy had more than doubled for those born in the 1990s and 2000s, compared with women born in the 1950s.
We partner with the Preeclampsia Foundation because the best thing we can do is to educate patients and their partners on what preeclampsia is, what signs and symptoms they need to report, and to ensure they get the immediate care required to manage their high-blood pressure.
Preeclampsia can cause seizures, damage to the kidney, brain, liver and cardiovascular system, and even death. It’s the leading known cause of premature birth in the United States, contributing to the high rate of stillbirths and infant death. There is no cure for preeclampsia, short of delivering the baby and the placenta and hoping that the mom’s blood pressure and organ dysfunction improve.
Symptoms of preeclampsia include: severe headache, vision changes, nausea or vomiting in the second half of pregnancy, abdominal or epigastric pain, sudden weight gain and severe swelling, especially in the hands and face.
Our hospitals serve a high-risk population, many of whom are non-Hispanic Black women with additional risk factors like being over 35 years old, having late or no prenatal care and experiencing obesity and other complications. These make them more likely to develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. They women also face a higher likelihood of having preterm babies, having a Cesarean delivery and losing their or their babies’ lives because of the severity of their disease process.
More tragic is that the Florida Department of Health deemed that 72% of the pregnancy-related deaths because of hypertensive disorders in the state were preventable.
We can do better, but it starts with recognizing the health disparities that affect Black and brown communities and ensuring they receive the care they deserve.
The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia will give us an additional platform to provide community education and support, bridging the knowledge and awareness gap. We have to make sure all women are aware of the importance of healthy lifestyle decisions and early prenatal care. Even one pregnancy-related death from hypertension is too many. Our daughters, sisters, cousins, friends and their babies are priceless.
If you are or have a pregnant woman in your life right now, ask what she knows about preeclampsia. Encourage her to visit the Preeclampsia Foundation’s website, preeclampsia.org, and learn more about the signs and symptoms. Make sure she goes to every prenatal appointment to have her blood pressure checked.
Together, we can ensure that every mother and her baby make it safely through pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Gisselle Carre is a labor and delivery nurse at Memorial Hospital Miramar. Visit https://bit.ly/MiramarPromiseWalk to make a donation or join the walk for awareness on Sept. 10.
