According to a new study, a stroke occurs every 5,000 pregnancies in France.
- Researchers have evaluated for the first time in France the incidence of stroke and acute coronary syndromes during pregnancy.
- All women aged between 15 and 49 who gave birth in France between 2010 and 2018 were included in the analysis.
- Between 2010 and 2018, in France, 1,261 strokes and 225 SCAs occurred in the context of pregnancy.
In France, a stroke occurs every 5,000 pregnancies and an acute coronary syndrome every 23,000, according to a new study published by Santé Publique France.
“Despite the potentially devastating effects of stroke and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) occurring during pregnancy, few studies have assessed the burden of these pathologies in France,” explain the researchers in the preamble. “Our objective was to describe the incidence rate of stroke and ACS during pregnancy, peripartum and postpartum, then to study the factors associated with the occurrence of these events,” they also write.
stroke, acute coronary syndrome and pregnancy: the course of the study
The data from their study comes from the cohort “Design”, formed from data from “National Health Data System”. All women aged between 15 and 49 who gave birth in France between 2010 and 2018 were included in the analysis. Sociodemographics, medical history, and type of stroke or ACS were all recorded.
“Poisson models” were used to estimate the annual incidence of different types of stroke and ACS. Logistic regressions made it possible to study the factors associated with the occurrence of these pathologies,” explain the scientists.
stroke, acute coronary syndrome : “the incidence was higher during the peripartum”
Between 2010 and 2018, in France, 1,261 strokes and 225 SCAs occurred in the context of pregnancy. Among the strokes, 42.9% were ischemic, 41.9% were hemorrhagic, and 17.4% were cerebral venous thromboses. The incidence of all types of stroke and ACS was higher during the peripartum (delivery stay) and postpartum (from discharge from the delivery stay to 6 weeks postpartum) than during of pregnancy (from the start of pregnancy to the delivery stay).
The incidence of these pathologies was linked to rather advanced age, but also to a low socio-economic level, with more of these pathologies among women beneficiaries of complementary universal health coverage. “Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and chronic high blood pressure, smoking and obesity were the main modifiable factors associated with stroke and ACS in our study,” public health experts also report.
“Preventive measures must be promoted more intensively in view of the modifiable cardiovascular risk factors involved in the occurrence of these cardiovascular diseases in pregnant women,” conclude the analysts.
What are stroke and acute coronary syndrome?
A cerebrovascular accident (CVA), also often called “stroke”, occurs when blood flow to or within the brain is interrupted.
Acute coronary syndrome is a general term for any situation where the blood supply to any part of your heart is suddenly reduced or blocked.
