Pregnant women beware of blood clots! Researchers warn that pregnant women who are taken for hospitals for other purposes rather than delivery face a high risk of blood clots.
Venous thromboembolism or VTE
One of the principal causes of maternal death in women in developed countries is venous thromboembolism or VTE and it is said to have an effect on almost one or two pregnancies out of 1000. VTE covers both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
Nearly 300,000-600,000 people in the US alone are affected by this medical condition, according to the data put forth by the CDC or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC states that nearly 60,000-100,000 people from the U.S will die because of VTE every year. They have not maintained any detailed data figures for the women who are pregnant
The research study
Research scientists from the United Kindom’s University of Nottingham and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Foundation Trust in London, carried out a group study of nearly 206,785 women who fell in the age group of 15-44 years and who had been pregnant one or more times between the years 1997 and 2010.
The researchers confirm that the women in the age group of 35 years and more who have been admitted to the hospital for about 3 days make up the high risk category for VTE. The risk is higher in case of women who are in their last trimester or late pregnancy stages.
Study conclusion
The researchers discovered that pregnant women who had to be hospitalized faced an increased risk of almost 17.5-fold, chances of venous thromboembolism, VTE. According to the research, the high risk of VTE pertained even after discharge of the pregnant women.
The risk was seen for about 28 days after the discharge and this data finding exhibits a six-fold increased risk faced by the women. Chances of VTE augmented 4-fold in women who were admitted in hospital for lesser than 3 days. The experts also agreed that in this stage they needed to look at prophylaxis that “might also require careful consideration.”
The research experts felt that this risk faced by the pregnant women may be due to the hormonal changes . These hormonal changes happen normally in every pregnant woman and start in the first trimester of pregnancy. They lend a hand in limiting the blood loss that can take place during delivery and also protect the woman from having a miscarriage and losing a baby. These are the reasons why the pregnant women face a higher risk of VTE say the March of Dimes.
As a conclusion the scientists have said, “The overall risk of first venous thromboembolism in pregnant women increased during admissions to hospital not related to delivery and remained significantly higher in the 28 days after discharge. During these periods, need for thromboprophylaxis should receive careful consideration.”
The new research study had been published by the BMJ.
