Pregnancy conditions and outcomes of Chinese women with mild, moderate and severe pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abstract

Pregnancy is normally contraindicated in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Thanks to medical advances, the prognosis for pregnancy in patients with PAH has improved. The aim of our study was to investigate pregnancy conditions and outcomes in patients with mild, moderate and severe PAH. We searched PubMed, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang and Weipu databases for studies published before May 2024. Data from 29 included studies from 1898 references were pooled and analyzed. We calculated the rates for each group as well as the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between pairwise. There was no statistical difference in maternal and neonatal survival between the mild and moderate groups. Maternal survival in the mild, moderate and severe groups was 100.0%, 99.7% and 88.8%, respectively, and neonatal survival was 100.0%, 99.7% and 96.0%, respectively. The incidence of NYHA class III-IV, pregnancy loss, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, fetal growth restriction, and neonatal asphyxia was lowest in patients with mild PAH and highest in patients with severe PAH (P < 0.001). The incidence of vaginal deliveries and term pregnancies was highest in the mild group and lowest in the severe group (P < 0.001). In conclusion, pregnant women with mild PAH can safely deliver a newborn. Given similar survival rates but greater economic and medical burdens, caution is advised in the moderate group. Pregnancy in the severe group is considered contraindicated.