Let me tell you, folks, we’ve got a situation here that’s absolutely huge. We’re talking about hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), a big deal for moms and babies, a real big deal. Now, everyone knows, prenatal care is key, especially when it comes to screening for HDP. You’ve got to catch it early, right? Because the solution, believe me, is delivery when it’s time. But here’s where it gets interesting.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with all these “stay-at-home” orders, in-person visits took a nosedive. We thought, “Could this mean trouble? Could this mean delayed diagnosis of HDP?” We had to check it out, we had to investigate the prevalence of HDP during these crazy times.

So, we took a look, a big look, at deliveries in four major hospitals during the peak of COVID (April – July 2020) and compared them to the good old days before COVID hit us (April – July 2019). We’re talking about nearly 10,000 deliveries here, a huge number. And guess what? The rates of HDP, they went up during COVID, from 6.9% to 9.0%. That’s significant, folks, even when you adjust for all the variables. But here’s the kicker – even with this increase, the severity of the disease, the real bad outcomes, they didn’t change. No difference in how bad it got or when these moms had to deliver.

So, what we’ve got here is a significant increase in HDP during the pandemic, but, and this is key, it didn’t translate into worse outcomes. It’s like, we caught it in time, we managed it. That’s something, isn’t it? It shows we’re doing something right, even when the world’s turned upside down. But let’s not get complacent. We’ve got to keep our eyes open, keep screening, and keep delivering top-notch care, pandemic or not. That’s how we’re going to keep moms and babies safe. Believe me, it’s huge.