Houston Chronicle | By Todd Ackerman
April 24, 2018
Life-threatening, pregnancy-related complications — the iceberg beneath the surface of the U.S. maternal health crisis — are on the rise in Harris County, according to a new report.
The report not only confirmed the Harris County rate is worse than that of the state and nation, it found that it increased more than 50 percent between 2008 and 2015. Texas’ rate of life-threatening, pregnancy-related complications went up 15 percent in the same time period.
“In subtle and unintentional ways, women’s health in Harris County has been subjugated to the health of babies so profoundly that the health of women of childbearing age is often not prioritized,” says the report, a project of the Houston Endowment.
Dr. Lisa Hollier, a Houston obstetrician-gynecologist and a co-chair of the task force that produced the report, said Harris County’s high rates “point to the need for greater intervention to promote safety around the time of delivery. Such complications are 50 times more common than pregnancy-related deaths, but don’t get near the amount of attention.”
Hollier and Dr. Cecilia Cazaban, the report’s principal investigator, said it is unclear why Harris County’s rate is increasing at such a high rate. They said that analysis is next on tap for the task force.
The report comes amid much consternation about maternal health problems in Texas and the nation, most involving deaths from pregnancy until 42 days after delivery. Recent statistics have shown the U.S. numbers are considerably greater than other Western nations.
Texas was thought to be the nation’s worst for pregnancy deaths, but two weeks ago a study showed its numbers aren’t nearly as bad as previously reported. That new data found the number of maternal deaths is less than half that reported in a 2016 study that shone a spotlight on Texas. The data put Texas in the middle among U.S. states, still unacceptable, said experts.
The new report focuses on severe maternal morbidity, the term for conditions that require such treatment as a respirator or blood transfusions or hysterectomy during delivery or in the immediate hours thereafter. It can lead to maternal death, but even when the patient survives, it can cause damage, such as kidney or heart failure, sometimes requiring lifelong treatment. It also is costly to the patient and health care system.
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