Risk for Subsequent Cardiovascular Events Higher After Maternal Ischemic Stroke

FRIDAY, Jan. 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Patients with maternal ischemic stroke (IS) have an increased risk for subsequent cardiovascular events, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in Neurology.

Anna Richardt, M.D., from the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, and colleagues conducted a retrospective nationwide cohort study involving patients with maternal IS in Finland during 1987 to 2016. For each case, three pregnancy controls without a pregnancy-related stroke were selected, matched by delivery year, parity, and geographical area.

The cohort included 97 women with maternal IS, of whom 92 survived one or more year after stroke, and 265 matched controls. Median follow-up time for mortality was 17.4 years and was 11.6 years for morbidity and vocational status. The researchers found that overall mortality was higher in patients with maternal IS than controls (8.3 versus 1.8 percent; age-adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.96), but no significant difference was seen after the first year. Five recurrent strokes occurred in patients with maternal IS (5.6 percent). Compared with controls, patients had more frequent major cardiovascular events (6.7 versus 0 percent), cardiac diseases (aOR, 8.57), and depression (aOR, 3.92). Overall, 92.1 percent of the patients who survived until the end of follow-up had good functional outcomes (modified Rankin scale, 0 to 2). Compared with controls, employment was rarer and retirement was more common in patients with maternal IS (aORs, 0.55 and 4.55).

“More than one-third of those with stroke were out of work at the end of the study,” Richardt said in a statement. “Our findings highlight the need for adequate stroke prevention, monitoring, and rehabilitation to improve the long-term health for those who have stroke during pregnancy.”

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