Preeclampsia rates in minority communities shed light on the social roots of maternal health disparities

Preeclampsia strikes some pregnancies with dangerously high blood pressure and organ damage, and researchers in El Paso found it nearly three times the national rate among Latinas in publicly funded prenatal care during the pandemic's first two years. According to The Conversation, the researchers link the spike to compounding stressors — economic insecurity, immigration-related fear, and pandemic hardship — rather than any single medical cause. Preeclampsia is already a leading cause of maternal death worldwide, and the study's authors argue the disparity reflects social conditions layered on top of the biological ones doctors traditionally focus on.

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