高血压不仅仅是怀孕期间的风险

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After enduring a difficult pregnancy marred with severe bouts of nausea and vomiting, Christina Roberto recalls the overwhelming sense of relief she felt two years ago when she finally brought her newborn daughter, Charlotte, 从医院安全回家了.

“怀孕的压力真的很大，”她说. "So there was this relief I felt getting home with Charlotte – and thinking everyone's safe and everyone's doing well."

那种感觉不会持续太久. About a week into caring for her newborn, Roberto developed an unusual headache and stomach pains. 配有家庭监控设备, she took her blood pressure and was shocked to discover it was alarmingly high at 180/110 mmHg.

She called a friend, an emergency medicine doctor, who advised her to go to the emergency room. There, 罗伯托得知她患有产后先兆子痫, a condition that causes high blood pressure and can cause other organs to not function normally. 这个诊断结果让她很震惊，因为她从来没有患过高血压, 甚至在她怀孕期间也没有.

Roberto is one of many thousands of women every year who develop high blood pressure postpartum, 即使他们从来没有高血压病史, 也被称为高血压.

In fact, nearly 1 in 8 of such new mothers may develop hypertension in the year after delivery – with about a fifth of them developing it more than six weeks after giving birth, according to a study published last year in the 美国心脏协会 journal Hypertension. Those at highest risk were age 35 or older, had a C-section or were a current or former smoker. 但专家表示，它可以袭击任何人，甚至是那些没有明显风险因素的人.

如果不及时治疗，产后高血压可能会严重到危及生命. Severe cases have been associated with strokes, heart failure, seizures and kidney failure.

Hypertension and preeclampsia are most common in the first two weeks after giving birth, said Dr. 伊丽莎白Langen, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and co-director of the cardio-obstetrics program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

这就是为什么它很重要, she said, that all new mothers know to look for the signs and symptoms of high blood pressure and preeclampsia during the weeks and months after childbirth. They can include a systolic (top number) blood pressure reading of 140 mmHg or higher or a diastolic (bottom number) reading of 90 mmHg or higher; blurry vision or seeing spots; a persistent headache; and shortness of breath. 一种非处方血压监测器可以让女性 在家检查他们的血压, as Roberto did.

如果新妈妈有这样的症状, they should get evaluated by a health care professional who is aware they were recently pregnant, especially if they go to an urgent care or ER – or else it may increase the risk of more serious complications and even death, Langen said.

The 美国妇产科医师学会建议 新妈妈在分娩后三周内进行健康检查, 根据需要安排更多的访问. That first checkup should be sooner – within three to 10 days after childbirth – for women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy.

对于产后得知自己患有高血压或子痫前期的母亲, “这可能是一个非常紧张、几乎是创伤性的线上娱乐电子游戏网站, because they thought they weren't at risk and they didn't realize that something like this could happen after delivery," said Dr. Jennifer Lewey, a cardiologist at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and director of Penn Women's Cardiovascular Health Program.

对罗伯托来说，这引发了另一种情况:产后焦虑.

“你只是很伤心, 因为这是一个脆弱的时期，你的荷尔蒙在肆虐," she said, 你在想, “我是不是要中风而死?? I need to live. 我得陪着我的孩子.'"

More programs around the country are remotely monitoring new mothers' blood pressure a couple of times a day, 比如宾夕法尼亚大学卫生系统, 罗伯托在诊断后就读的学校. 但专家表示，要在全国范围内实施这些项目，还需要做更多的工作, as well as educate all physicians about how to detect and treat these conditions.

Roberto, an associate professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said it worries her that many other women could be blindsided like she was if more isn't done to educate and build awareness for the problem.

"This wasn't something that anyone had talked to me about or warned me about," she said. “我很幸运能得到帮助, 但我无法想象对于一个普通的妈妈来说, 这是她的目标. 但如果是的话，它真的可以挽救生命."