E-Mail DALLAS, Dec. 16, 2020 -- Significant racial disparities exist in heart-related problems among pregnant and postpartum women in the United States, with Black women having the highest risk of several serious complications, according to research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association. "Clinicians should be aware of the cardiovascular risks associated with pregnancy that, although not common, can result in serious illness and death. Women at increased risk for heart disease should be closely monitored during and even after pregnancy," said Samir R. Kapadia, M.D., senior author of the study and chair of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.