Heart HealthAHA Sounds Alarm on Heart Failure During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Heart failure during pregnancy and the postpartum period is underdiagnosed and poorly understood, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation. Symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, and leg swelling are easily mistaken for normal pregnancy changes, causing dangerous delays in diagnosis. The statement addresses heart failure with reduced or mildly reduced ejection fraction linked to various cardiomyopathies, outlines current treatment standards, and calls for standardized disease definitions, better screening tools, and greater inclusion of pregnant and postpartum women in clinical research. Improving maternal health equity is also identified as a critical priority to reduce preventable adverse outcomes.
