Heart Disease Risk High for Mothers of Twins

A recent study published in the European Heart Journal highlights that mothers of twins have a significantly increased risk of heart disease within the first year postpartum compared to mothers of single infants. The research, covering 36 million U.S. births from 2010 to 2020, found that mothers of twins had a readmission rate for cardiovascular diseases of 1,105.4 per 100,000 births, versus 734.1 for single pregnancies. Factors like high blood pressure during pregnancy further amplified this risk, making hospitalization more than eight times likelier for twin mothers with such conditions. The study, led by Dr. Ruby Lin from Rutgers University, attributes this heightened risk to the increased cardiovascular demand during twin pregnancies. Despite this, long-term mortality from heart disease was higher among those with singleton pregnancies and high blood pressure. The findings underscore the importance of monitoring cardiovascular health in mothers of twins, even in the absence of complications like pre-eclampsia.