Risk of Cardiovascular Disease During Pregnancy is Rising
The risk of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy is rising in developed countries, mainly because women are getting pregnant later in life than they have in the past, and because of a rise in the rates of diabetes, hypertension and obesity, according to new ESC Guidelines on the management of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy.
The guidelines, published in the European Heart Journal, make clear that much of the screening, risk assessment and counseling for cardiovascular disease can be performed in primary care, but if a disease is suspected or confirmed, interdisciplinary teams should be used to manage it. These guidelines apply to pregnant women with heart disease especially, the guidelines say. Specialists who have experience treating pregnant patients when the health of the fetus or mother is at risk should perform the diagnostic procedures and interventions.
