Prevalence of Heart Diseases in Pregnant Women Referred to the Heart Diseases Clinic for Obstetrics

Abstract

Objectives: Heart diseases are among the most common diseases, subjecting the maternal and fetal life to risks, causing complications for both mothers and babies. Despite medical and surgical progress made in the heart diseases, coronary artery diseases are still the second cause of the mortality and significant disability, as well as the low efficiency in the women over 40 years of age; also, they are the leading cause of mortality in the women over 65 years old. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of heart diseases in the pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional conducted on the pregnant women with heart problems using the census method from September 2015 until September 2017. After data collection, they were analyzed using SPSS version 17. Results: The findings of the present study showed that dyspnea (28.1%), cardiac palpation (32.7%) and hypertension (11.7%) were the most common causes of pregnant women's referral to obstetrics clinics. Also, most cardiac problems were associated with valvular problems (24.3%) and heart failure (18%). The average age of the patients was 28 +/- 9 years. Conclusion: Heart diseases are very dangerous during pregnancy, but its progression and complications in the mother and the fetus can be prevented by treatment and continuous, as well as, a complete care during pregnancy and before delivery.