Postpartum cardiovascular risk screening in a northern community clinic vs. a tertiary centre clinic

Objectives This study compared pregnancy-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk indicators among women who attended two postpartum screening and education clinics: one in a tertiary care centre and one in a northern rural community. The differences in cardiovascular risk between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadian women were also examined. Methods We compared data from an urban, tertiary level clinic (N=675) with that from a northern rural clinic (N=65). Patients who developed hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, intrauterine growth restriction, idiopathic preterm birth or placental abruption attended at six months postpartum. Demographic information, personal and family history, physical examination findings, and laboratory results were collected and used to generate CVD risk estimates using validated scoring systems. These were compared between clinic populations and between ethnic subsets. Results 55% of the rural cohort were Indigenous, while 87% of the urban cohort were Caucasian (P Conclusions The increased cardiovascular risk in both rural and Indigenous patients supports the needs for the implementation of better postpartum care, long term follow-up and early promotion of cardiovascular health in these populations.