Why Do Black Women Face Higher Hypertension Risk After…

Why Do Black Women Face Higher Hypertension Risk After Pregnancy? Part of the Answer Lies in Pregnancy Itself Black women face significantly higher rates of hypertension than White women, a disparity that begins remarkably early in adulthood. A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association asks an important question: how much of this disparity traces back to pregnancy itself? Researchers followed 3,335 women who had never given birth before, enrolled during their first pregnancy across 8 US medical centres, with follow-up 2 to 7 years after delivery. The study specifically examined three adverse pregnancy outcomes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational-age birth and their relationship to hypertension diagnosed later on. Black women experienced adverse pregnancy outcomes at significantly higher rates than White women, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy occurred in roughly 20% of Black women's pregnancies compared to about 15% of White women's. Rates of preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age babies were also meaningfully higher. Yea