<\/p>\n
The WHO said conditions including pre-eclampsia remained among the leading causes of death and serious illness among pregnant women and babies.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The disorders account for approximately 16% of maternal deaths worldwide, alongside more than 500 000 stillbirths and newborn deaths each year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In many countries, patients lack reliable access to blood-pressure checks, urine protein testing and essential medicines, including aspirin, antihypertensives and magnesium sulphate.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Shortages of trained healthcare workers, inadequate referral systems and limited emergency obstetric services further delay diagnosis and lifesaving treatment. \u201cPre-eclampsia can develop in any pregnancy,\u201d WHO Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing Director Dr Pascale Allotey said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it becomes fatal depends on whether a woman\u2019s blood pressure was checked in time, and whether quality emergency care was within reach when it turned severe.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Global roadmap for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy from 2026 to 2035 and beyond sets out coordinated action covering research, clinical guidance, medicines, diagnostic services, implementation and accountability. \u201cThis roadmap brings together research, medicines, clinical guidance, health systems and political action so that a woman\u2019s chances of surviving pregnancy and having a baby do not depend on where she lives,\u201d Allotey said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO identified a substantial innovation gap, with no medicines specifically developed and approved by regulators to prevent or treat pre-eclampsia or eclampsia.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Research investment has largely focused on diagnostic tools, while new prevention and treatment options remain chronically underfunded.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO brought together more than 140 partners in May to identify 20 priority research questions intended to guide future investment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Patients in low-income and middle-income countries face greater risks because of gaps in antenatal care, medicines, diagnostic services and emergency treatment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hypertensive disorders can also increase the long-term risk of chronic hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney disease. Children exposed during pregnancy may face risks associated with premature birth and later cardiovascular and metabolic conditions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO called for governments, researchers, health professionals, funders and pharmaceutical companies to align investment and ensure proven interventions reach those most at risk.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–WHO\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":47616,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-47615","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Hypertensive disorders affect up to 15% of pregnancies and cause about 42 000 maternal deaths annually, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to launch a global response plan.","published_date":"","news_description":"Hypertensive disorders affect up to 15% of pregnancies and cause about 42 000 maternal deaths annually, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to launch a global response plan.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47618,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47615\/revisions\/47618"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=47615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}