Wellbeing of Women

2007 Grants

The epidemiology of pregnancy-related stroke in the UK. Mrs Catherine Scott, University of Oxford £17,648

The epidemiology of pregnancy-related stroke in the UK

Improvements in the health care of pregnant women in the western world have led to far fewer problems and deaths during pregnancy and around the time of birth. Nowadays the causes of death in pregnant women are mostly due to rare diseases about which little is known. Stroke during pregnancy is an example of one of these rare disorders, with 10% of maternal deaths in the UK being associated with or caused by stroke. An unknown number of women who survive are left with long-term disability, and with increasing maternal age and vascular risk factors these numbers are likely to rise.

This project will be using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) over 2 years to study the incidence of stroke associated with pregnancy in the UK. This will provide data on all cases of stroke in the UK which occur during or immediately following pregnancy and will also provide unique information on which types of stroke are associated with pregnancy, and what gestation is associated with the highest risk. The design of the study will allow identification of risk factors, focusing particularly on older maternal age and associated vascular factors that are becoming more common with increasing maternal age at childbirth. The researcher will also investigate how stroke is currently managed and the prognosis for mother and infant.

The outcomes of this study will allow practical improvements to be made in prevention, treatment and service planning for stroke associated with pregnancy.

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