Incidence of heart disease during pregnancy in Villa Clara province

Abstract

Introduction and Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases are the fourth leading cause of death during the gravid-puerperal period, and an indicator of morbidity and mortality for the product of conception. The objective of this research was to determine the behavior of heart disease in pregnant women, its medical care and evolution during and after pregnancy. Method: A prospective descriptive study was performed, which analyzed 283 pregnant women diagnosed with heart disease, and treated at the Obstetrics and Gynecology University Hospital "Mariana Grajales" in Santa Clara, Villa Clara, in the period 2008-2010. Information was obtained through review of individual medical records, interview, complete physical examination and laboratory tests to establish or confirm the diagnosis. Results: A heart disease incidence of 17.2 per thousand pregnant women was obtained and in 59.7% of them, the heart disease was acquired, and the mitral valve prolapse was the most frequent (45%). Of the congenital diseases, 36.8% was an atrial septal defect. Antibiotic prophylaxis was used in 96.8% of pregnant women and in 96.1% of them a medical monitoring was kept. 92.6% had functional class I and 4.6% presented disease-related complications. 77.4% gave birth between 37 and 42 weeks, and 82.7% had vaginal delivery. Conclusions: Pregnant women with heart disease were more common in ages 20 to 29 years, predominantly in those who had not given birth, whose pregnancies had been detected between 13 and 24 weeks, and with acquired heart diseases. The prevailing medical care was antibiotic prophylaxis and medical monitoring with satisfactory final outcome of pregnancy.