Surgeon in ‘lifelong care’ call to combat kidney failure risk after pre-eclampsia

A leading kidney transplant surgeon is calling for better lifelong care for women who have suffered the pregnancy condition pre-eclampsia.

Zubir Ahmed, a consultant at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, said: “I have had women on dialysis whose pre-eclampsia has contributed to kidney failure.”

Ahmed – who is also a Labour MP and parliamentary private ­secretary for UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting – wants early detection to cut the risks. He said: “It is vital to have lifelong screening for women who have had pre-eclampsia health risks as they grow older.

“This would go a long way in preventing irreversible damage to their kidneys and other vital organs.

“Addressing raised blood pressure and a decline in renal function must be done early to prevent women reaching end stage kidney failure.”

Ahmed points to a care gap between women in Scotland and England. He said: “In England these women can access their health records digitally but they cannot do this in Scotland and that poses an inequality.

“In England, we will soon have a 10-year plan which will includes improving outcomes for women at greater risk of serious disease.”

Every year around 5,000 women in Scotland suffer pre-eclampsia. The Sunday Post campaigned successfully for the Scottish Government to fund a test for the condition in at-risk pregnant women, though some health boards have yet to begin offering it.

Women are more likely overall than men to end up needing kidney dialysis, according to research.

Ahmed’s calls are backed by Tess White MSP. The Tory equalities spokeswoman ­suffered pre-eclampsia while expecting her son, who is now in his 20s.

She said: “I know how frightening this condition can be, but it’s vital that women are also made aware of the longer-term health issues because prevention is key. Women at higher risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease deserve the medical attention to address these risks.”

The British Medical Journal warns that pre-eclampsia, particularly early pre-term, is strongly associated with several chronic renal disorders later in life. It urges more research to determine which of these women are most likely to develop kidney disease.

A report by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) revealed that, overall, women with pre-eclampsia were four times more likely to have a heart attack and three times more likely to have a stroke within 10 years of delivery than those without the condition.

It wants prevention to start within a decade of delivery, by treating high blood pressure and informing women about risk factors for heart disease such as smoking and inactivity.

Alarm bells should have already rung for NHS leaders after the Health Foundation recently reported that the average number of years of expected good health is falling faster in women than men across the UK. Women in North Ayrshire have the lowest in the UK – just 54 years.

The Sunday Post last week revealed that pre-eclampsia is not flagged up as a condition meriting lifelong ­surveillance by GPs.

Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “A working group has been established to ­consider how to improve ­cardiovascular care for women who have experienced pregnancy-induced hypertension, including pre-eclampsia.

“This includes consideration of the role of digital health technology such as Connect Me blood pressure monitoring.”