KC's pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing
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Rates of high blood pressure during pregnancy have soared nationwide, and both Kansas and Missouri are above the U.S. average, according to new CDC data.
Why it matters: High blood pressure is associated with serious complications for mom and baby.
By the numbers: About 1 in 8 Missouri mothers who gave birth in 2024 had gestational hypertension, a category that includes preeclampsia. The state rate hit 12%, up from 7.4% in 2016.
- Kansas reached 11.1%, up from 6.6%.
- Nationally, the rate went from 6% to 10.4%, a 73% increase.
Yes, but: Both states started higher than the national baseline in 2016, so their percentage increases (62% in Missouri, 68% in Kansas) are smaller than the national jump.
Reality check: The true rate is probably even higher because birth certificates, used to inform this report, don't capture every case of gestational hypertension, the CDC says.
Between the lines: Rates rose within every age and BMI group studied, suggesting older maternal age and higher BMI alone don't fully explain the increase. The report doesn't identify a specific cause.
- Researchers are examining whether pollution and microplastics may affect pregnancy health, and OB hospitalist Jane van Dis previously told Axios that such environmental exposures are her hypothesis for the broader increase in chronic disease among pregnant patients.
Go deeper: High blood pressure during pregnancy is rising in every state.