Blood Pressure in Pregnancy and Hypertension 10-14 Years After Delivery.

We examined the association between blood pressure (BP) in the early third trimester and hypertension 10-14 years after delivery per American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association recommendations. We conducted a secondary analysis using the prospective HAPO FUS (Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Follow-up Study) in patients without a chronic hypertension diagnosis. The exposure and outcome were systolic and diastolic BP measured in the early third trimester and 10-14 years after delivery, respectively.

Blood Pressure Monitoring and Knowledge in the First Year after a Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy.

In the first year postpartum, hypertension is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly for those with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs). Given that timely recognition of hypertension is key to reducing short- and long-term cardiovascular risk, we assessed knowledge of when to seek medical attention for blood pressure (BP) elevations and rates of BP measurement in the first year postpartum. This was a secondary analysis of a cohort of 405 primiparas who enrolled in a randomized trial during pregnancy.

Antihypertensive medication prescription dispensation among pregnant women in the United States: A cohort study.

Importance: Hypertension is increasingly common in pregnancy capable individuals, yet there is limited data on antihypertensive medication dispensation in peripartum individuals.

Objective: To describe antihypertensive medication dispensation from preconception through the first year postpartum.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study used the Truven Health Market Scan administrative data from 2008 to 2014 to identify women in the United States with commercial or government health insurance, aged 15-54, free from heart disease, who experienced a pregnancy and filled at least 1 prescription for an antihypertensive medication between 3 months prior to conception and 12 months after the end of the pregnancy.

Open Access: Opening or Closing Doors for Junior Faculty?

The Open Access movement has transformed the landscape of medical publishing. Federal regulations regarding Open Access have expanded in the USA, and journals have adapted by offering a variety of Open Access models that range widely in cost and accessibility. For junior faculty with little to no funding, navigating this ever-changing landscape while simultaneously balancing the pressures of publication and promotion may present a particular challenge.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Enrollment and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Among Nulliparous Individuals.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between changes in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) enrollment during pregnancy from 2016 to 2019 and rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes in U.S. counties in 2019.

An Enhanced Postpartum Transition Program to Primary Care.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are risk factors for future cardiovascular disease, yet few individuals receive postpartum care with primary care clinicians (PCP). To facilitate transitions of care to PCPs and improve cardiovascular health monitoring within the first 13 months postpartum, we developed and piloted an enhanced postpartum referral pathway for patients with GDM or HDP. Eligible patients included those who received perinatal care at a large, urban, academic medical center, experienced GDM or HDP during their most recent pregnancy, and lacked an existing PCP.

An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis of Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2018.

Background: Although cardiovascular disease mortality rates in the United States declined from the 1970s to 2010s, they have now plateaued. The independent effects of age, period, and birth year (cohort) on cardiovascular disease mortality have not previously been defined.

Methods: We used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research to examine the effects of age, period, and cohort on cardiovascular disease mortality among individuals aged 20-84 years from 1999 to 2018, prior to the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Trends in Cardiovascular Health Counseling Among Postpartum Individuals.

Importance: Poor prepregnancy cardiovascular health (CVH) and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) are key risk factors for subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in birthing adults. The postpartum visit offers an opportunity to promote CVH among at-risk individuals.

Objective: To determine prevalence, predictors, and trends in self-reported CVH counseling during the postpartum visit.

Rural-urban disparities in pregestational and gestational diabetes in pregnancy: Serial, cross-sectional analysis of over 12 million pregnancies.

Objective: To compare trends in pregestational (DM) and gestational diabetes (GDM) in pregnancy in rural and urban areas in the USA, because pregnant women living in rural areas face unique challenges that contribute to rural-urban disparities in adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Design: Serial, cross-sectional analysis.

Setting: US National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Natality Files from 2011 to 2019.

Pregnancy as an Early Cardiovascular Moment: Peripartum Cardiovascular Health.

Pregnancy is commonly referred to as a window into future CVH (cardiovascular health). During pregnancy, physiological adaptations occur to promote the optimal growth and development of the fetus. However, in approximately 20% of pregnant individuals, these perturbations result in cardiovascular and metabolic complications, which include hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational age infant.

Oral Contraceptive Pills and Hypertension: A Review of Current Evidence and Recommendations.

Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) have been used as effective and popular forms of contraception since the middle of the last century. By 2019, over 150 million reproductive-aged individuals were using OCPs to prevent unintended pregnancies worldwide. Safety concerns regarding the effects of OCPs on blood pressure were reported soon after these pills gained approval.

Chronic Hypertension in Pregnancy: A Lens Into Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Prevention.

Hypertension is a major, modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States. Over the past decade, the prevalence of chronic hypertension (CHTN) during pregnancy has nearly doubled with persistent race- and place-based disparities. Blood pressure elevations are of particular concern during pregnancy given higher risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, as well as higher lifetime risk of CVD in birthing individuals with CHTN.

Rural-Urban Disparities in Adverse Maternal Outcomes in the United States, 2016-2019.

To describe differences in maternal admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) and mortality in rural versus urban areas in the United States. We performed a nationwide analysis and calculated age-standardized rates and rate ratios (RRs) of maternal ICU admission and mortality per 100 000 live births between 2016 and 2019 in rural versus urban areas. From 2016 to 2019, there was no significant increase in age-standardized rates of maternal ICU admissions in rural (170.

Social and Psychosocial Determinants of Racial and Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Health in the United States Population.

Background: Social and psychosocial factors are associated with cardiovascular health (CVH). Our objective was to examine the contributions of individual-level social and psychosocial factors to racial and ethnic differences in population CVH in the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys) 2011 to 2018, to inform strategies to mitigate CVH inequities.

Methods: In NHANES participants ages ≥20 years, Kitagawa-Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition estimated the statistical contribution of individual-level factors (education, income, food security, marital status, health insurance, place of birth, depression) to racial and ethnic differences in population mean CVH score (range, 0-14, accounting for diet, smoking, physical activity, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose) among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Asian, or non-Hispanic Black adults compared with non-Hispanic White adults.

Trends in gestational diabetes mellitus among nulliparous pregnant individuals with singleton live births in the United States between 2011 to 2019: an age-period-cohort analysis.

Background: The rate of gestational diabetes mellitus has increased over the past decade. An age, period, and cohort epidemiologic analysis can be used to understand how and why disease trends have changed over time.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the associations of age (at delivery), period (delivery year), and cohort (birth year) of the pregnant individual with trends in the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus in the United States.