Black women more likely to develop weakened heart muscle at childbirth
February 23rd, 2010 - 6:01 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Feb 23 (ANI): A new study suggests that black women are at an increased risk of developing weakened heart muscle at childbirth.
The study looking into the incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy in women who gave birth at a Medical College of Georgia’s teaching hospital between July 2003 and July 2008, found that while 55 percent of the women were white, 93 percent of those who developed cardiomyopathy were black, according to Dr. Mindy B. Gentry, an MCG cardiologist.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy typically occurs in the last month of pregnancy or the first few months after delivery. Symptoms include shortness of breath, particularly when lying down, as excess fluid congests the lungs and the rest of the body. The suffocating backlog is caused by an enlarged, stiff heart muscle that no longer pumps efficiently.
Gentry, a corresponding author on the study, said: “When it hits, it’s totally unexpected because these are young, otherwise healthy women with young children. (They aren’t patients) you’d expect to have any sort of health problem much less heart failure.”
Gentry said other risk factors include hypertension, being unmarried, smoking during pregnancy and having more than two previous pregnancies, but African-American race was the most important predictor.
Two previously published studies from Haiti and South Africa found a higher incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy than in other parts of the world but essentially all the participants were black. The heterogeneous population giving birth at MCGHealth Medical Center made it easier to assess the effect of race, Dr. Gentry noted.
The study has appeared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (ANI)
- Women with heart disease likely to have girls: Iran study - Apr 22, 2012
- 'Kids of 40-plus moms are smarter' - May 22, 2012
- Pregnancy stress can affect baby's iron status: Study - Apr 30, 2012
- Therapy to prevent heart failure more beneficial for women than men - Feb 08, 2011
- Hypothermia therapy can benefit younger cardiac patients too - Apr 04, 2011
- Heavy drinking during pregnancy 'ups premature birth risk' - Apr 11, 2011
- Study: Fish oil supplements are not much help during pregnancy - Oct 21, 2010
- Overweight, obese mums 'at higher risk of premature births' - Jul 21, 2010
- Asthmatic women risk unborn child's health - Feb 20, 2012
- Pregnant teen mums 'at higher preterm birth risk' - Jul 09, 2010
- Conceiving again within a year trebles autism risk - Jan 10, 2011
- Young women often fail to spot weight gain - Jan 11, 2012
- Garlic oil 'may prevent heart disease in diabetics' - Sep 30, 2010
- Diabetic women likely to deliver babies with defects - Feb 06, 2012
- Having epidurals during labour may protect key muscles - Aug 26, 2010
Tags: backlog, black women, cardiomyopathy, childbirth, excess fluid, giving birth, health problem, heart failure, heart muscle, heterogeneous population, hypertension, last month of pregnancy, mcg, medical college of georgia, mindy, pregnancies, risk factors, shortness of breath, smoking during pregnancy, teaching hospital