Persistent postpartum hypertension 3 months post-delivery among women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in Tanzania: A multicenter cohort study.

Postpartum care of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) often extends only 6 weeks after delivery in low-income countries. This multicenter observational cohort study was conducted to determine 3-month postpartum outcomes of HDP in Tanzania. Of 309 consecutive women admitted to 3 public hospitals, five (1.7 %) died within 3 months. Of the remaining 304, 292 (94.5 %) returned for 3-month follow-up visit and 41.1 % (95 % CI: 35.6 %-46.9 %) had persistent postpartum hypertension. The strongest independent predictor of hypertension persistence was reduced eGFR at delivery (aOR = 2.1[1.01,4.4]). Postpartum follow-up should routinely be extended to 3 months in all women with HDP to diagnose hypertension and prevent cardiovascular disease.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2023 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)