Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy: Differences by Hispanic Ethnicity and Black Race

Black individuals carry the greatest burden of maternal mortality, with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy being a significant driving force to this disparity. However, research on maternal health disparities predominantly groups Hispanic Black individuals with all other individuals of Hispanic ethnicity. We hypothesized that this aggregation might obscure the risk patterns of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy for Hispanic-Black and non-Hispanic Black individuals.

We analyzed a California statewide dataset of vital records linked to hospitalization discharge data for births from 2007 to 2018. Using multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, pre-pregnancy BMI, parity, smoking status, diabetes, and chronic renal disease, we compared the odds of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy between Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Black Hispanic racial-ethnic groups. Hypertensive disorders were categorized into two groups: (1) any hypertensive disorder and (2) chronic hypertension alone, non-severe hypertensive disorders, and severe hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

Non-Hispanic Black people had 75% increased odds of developing a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (aOR); 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.74, 1.78) and Hispanic-Black individuals had a 31% increased odds (95% CI: 1.24, 1.38) as compared with non-Black Hispanic individuals. When considering hypertensive disorders separately, the race-associated differences were largest for chronic hypertension alone, with non-Hispanic Black individuals showing an aOR of 2.35 (95% CI: 2.32, 2.38) and Hispanic-Black individuals an aOR of 1.80 (95% CI: 1.66, 1.95).

Compared with non-Black Hispanic individuals, the prevalence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy was higher in Black-Hispanic individuals and highest in non-Hispanic Black individuals. Racial/ethnic differences were larger for chronic hypertension alone than for preeclampsia.