Impact of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy on short- and long-term outcomes of pregnancy-associated hemorrhagic stroke

Background and purposeThough hypertension disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are recognized as independent pregnancy-associated stroke risk factors, few studies have considered their impact on stroke prognosis. Therefore, we intended to evaluate the impact of HDP on short- and long-term outcomes of pregnancy-associated hemorrhagic stroke (HS). MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to our hospital from May 2009 to December 2021 with a diagnosis of pregnancy-associated HS. After dividing patients into two groups by the presence of a diagnosis of HDP or not, the short- (at the time of discharge) and long-term (after discharge follow-up) outcomes were compared by mRS (modified Rankin Scale) scores, and poor functional outcome defined as mRS > 2. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. ResultsTwenty-two HDP and 72 non-HDP pregnancy-associated HS patients were enrolled and follow-up after 4.7 +/- 3.6 years. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding short-term outcomes, but patients with HDP were more likely to reach poor functional outcomes at long-term follow-up (aOR = 4.47, 95% CI = 1.28-15.67, p = 0.019). ConclusionsIn this retrospective study, women with hypertension disorders of pregnancy did not show worse short-term outcomes of pregnancy-associated hemorrhagic stroke compared to those without but had poorer long-term functional outcomes. This underlines the importance of prevention, recognition, and treatment of hypertension disorders in these women.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of hypertension disorders of pregnancy (HDP) on short- and long-term outcomes of pregnancy-associated hemorrhagic stroke (HS). The results showed no significant difference in short-term outcomes between the two groups, but patients with HDP were more likely to have poorer functional outcomes at long-term follow-up. This highlights the importance of prevention, recognition, and treatment of hypertension disorders in these women.