Hiroaki Tanaka1, Shinji Katsuragi2, Kazuhiro Osato3, Junichi Hasegawa4, Masahiko Nakata5, Takeshi Murakoshi6, Jun Yoshimatsu7, Akihiko Sekizawa4, Naohiro Kanayama8, Isamu Ishiwata9, Tomoaki Ikeda10. 1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie University School of Medicine, Mie, Japan. Electronic address: h_tanaka@med.miyazaki-u.ac.jp. 2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sakakibara Heart Institute, Tokyo, Japan. 3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ise Red Cross Hospital, Mie, Japan. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. 5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Toho University Omori Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan. 6. Division of Perinatology, Maternal and Perinatal Care Center, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan. 7. Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine and Gynecology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan. 8. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan. 9. Ishiwata Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Ibaraki, Japan. 10. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie University School of Medicine, Mie, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), both genetic and acquired, increase the risk of maternal death (MD) unless proper genetic/clinical counseling is provided and a multidisciplinary approach is adopted during pregnancy. In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of women with CVD of child-bearing age and in the incidence of pregnancy among relatively older women. However, the impact of this phenomenon on MD has not been carefully investigated. METHODS: This retrospective study compares the incidence and etiology of maternal deaths related to cardiovascular disease (MD-CVD) in Japan in 2010-2012 to that seen in 1991-1992. RESULTS: Seven cases of MD-CVD were reported in 1991-1992, compared to 15 in 2010-2012. In 2010-2012, the causes included aortic dissection (n=5), peripartum cardiomyopathy (n=3), sudden adult/arrhythmic death syndrome (n=2), acute cardiomyopathy (n=2), pulmonary hypertension (n=2), and myocardial infarction (n=1), and four of these causes were not encountered in 1991-1992. The incidence of MD over the total number of pregnancies decreased from 9.4 per 100,000 cases in 1990-1992 to 4.6 per 100,000 cases in 2010-2012 (p<0.05). However, the incidence of MD-CVD over the number of cases of MD increased from 2.9% in 1991-1992 to 9.7% in 2010-2012 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that the rate of MD-CVD among the cases of MD has increased 3-fold in Japan over the past 20 years. Thus, it is of critical importance to better understand the etiologies and early signs of MD-CVD and to devise an effective management program for pregnancies complicated by CVD.
BACKGROUND:Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), both genetic and acquired, increase the risk of maternal death (MD) unless proper genetic/clinical counseling is provided and a multidisciplinary approach is adopted during pregnancy. In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of women with CVD of child-bearing age and in the incidence of pregnancy among relatively older women. However, the impact of this phenomenon on MD has not been carefully investigated. METHODS: This retrospective study compares the incidence and etiology of maternal deaths related to cardiovascular disease (MD-CVD) in Japan in 2010-2012 to that seen in 1991-1992. RESULTS: Seven cases of MD-CVD were reported in 1991-1992, compared to 15 in 2010-2012. In 2010-2012, the causes included aortic dissection (n=5), peripartum cardiomyopathy (n=3), sudden adult/arrhythmic death syndrome (n=2), acute cardiomyopathy (n=2), pulmonary hypertension (n=2), and myocardial infarction (n=1), and four of these causes were not encountered in 1991-1992. The incidence of MD over the total number of pregnancies decreased from 9.4 per 100,000 cases in 1990-1992 to 4.6 per 100,000 cases in 2010-2012 (p<0.05). However, the incidence of MD-CVD over the number of cases of MD increased from 2.9% in 1991-1992 to 9.7% in 2010-2012 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that the rate of MD-CVD among the cases of MD has increased 3-fold in Japan over the past 20 years. Thus, it is of critical importance to better understand the etiologies and early signs of MD-CVD and to devise an effective management program for pregnancies complicated by CVD.