Stroke during pregnancy and postpartum is associated with higher long-term risks of cardiovascular events and depression, a study has found.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki in Finland identified 97 female participants in Finnish healthcare registries who had an ischaemic stroke (the most common type of stroke, which occurs when a clot or blockage reduces blood flow to the brain, depriving it of oxygen and nutrients) during pregnancy or postpartum, up to three months after pregnancy.
They were matched to 280 female participants who did not have a stroke.
Researchers tracked the health of each person through registries and medical records for an average of 12 years, noting which participants later had cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke and heart disease or depression.
Of participants with an initial stroke, six per cent had a second stroke and seven per cent had a major cardiovascular event such as heart attack compared to zero per cent of those who were stroke-free at the start of the study.
Anna Richardt, study author from the University of Helsinki, said: “Having a stroke during pregnancy or postpartum is rare but several studies have shown it is on the rise.
“Our study sought to better understand what happens to women after a stroke during pregnancy and postpartum and found an increased risk of cardiac diseases and depression, as well as lower odds of being employed later.”
Researchers also found among participants with stroke, nine per cent had cardiac disease, including atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) or congestive heart failure (when the heart cannot pump blood effectively), compared to one per cent of those who did not have stroke.
After adjusting for age, participants with stroke had a nearly nine times greater odds of having cardiac disease.
Of participants with stroke, 19 per cent had depression compared to six per cent of those without stroke. After adjusting for age, those with stroke had nearly four times greater odds of having depression.
Researchers also reviewed employment statistics.
Of participants with stroke, 71 per cent were employed two years prior to their stroke compared to 76 per cent of those without stroke. By the end of the study, 66 per cent of those with stroke were employed compared to 78 per cent of those without stroke.
After adjusting for age, researchers found that participants with stroke had 45 per cent lower odds of being employed and nearly five times greater odds of being retired at the end of the study compared to those without stroke.
Richardt said: “Of those with stroke, 92 per cent had good functional outcomes, meaning they had either completely recovered or could manage most daily activities by the end of the study.
“Still, more than one-third of those with stroke were out of work at the end of the study.
“Our findings highlight the need for adequate stroke prevention, monitoring and rehabilitation to improve the long-term health for those who have stroke during pregnancy.”
A limitation of the study was the small number of participants with stroke since stroke during pregnancy is rare.
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