This condition almost killed Serena Williams after having her baby.....
Serena Williams hardly needs an introduction.
Famous, talented, arguably the best female tennis player of our age.
Last year, following the announcement of her engagement to the man after her heart in December 2016, she celebrated their union at a high society wedding.
Oh, and in between found time to have a baby girl, too.
But did you hear...... ? She also almost died last year.
Yes, the news could have been so very different.
The thing is, the problem she developed just after the birth of her baby that could have led to death is not a rare condition.
It's time we learnt something of this condition called Pulmonary Embolism.
Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is a serious medical condition. It can kill very quickly.
A PE is the condition when a blood clot blocks one of the blood vessels to the lungs. If left untreated, it is quickly fatal.
Below the symptoms are listed in the graphic, but commonly it’s the development of :
Sudden Breathlessness and significant Chest Pain.
It can happen in both men and women but certain factors increase the risk of its occurrence.
One of these factors is pregnancy which is where the story of Serena's experience comes in.
In an interview with Vogue magazine this January, Serena reveals the details of her experience barely 24 hours after having her baby by an emergency Caeserean Section.
Check out the interview here.
Some of the excerpts are shown below, but the entire interview is a great read:
Now, some background - and this is important because I don’t want you to get the idea PE only happens in pregnant women.
In 2011, Serena sustained an injury from an accidental cut to her leg.
It’s reported that from this she went on to develop a PE.
How does this develop from a ordinary leg wound or cut?
In Serena, I do not know specifically, but possibly if there was limited movement while the injury was healing, or there was a certain blood condition that increases the risk of developing PE.
In some people with conditions like Protein S or Protein C deficiency, there is a lack of factors that prevent blood clotting which increases the risk of developing a clot - Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) or PE.
Some of the other conditions that increase the risk of a PE are:
Having had one before
Being immobile for a long period (up to 3 months ) - for example if bedridden after surgery or an accident , or people who are bed bound for other reasons - age, disability
Having Cancer
So Serena already knew she was at risk of having another PE because she had one in 2011, but being pregnant also added to that risk.
Having already been through a significant stressful birth i.e a Caesarean Section, she became suddenly breathless the following day - while still in hospital.
'Dr Williams' as she jokingly referred to herself in the Vogue interview identified her symptoms correctly but according to her - she had an extra job to convince her medical team of what was going on and what she needed.
Thankfully, they did listen and she quickly got her CT Scan and the blood thinning medication she needed to dissolve the clot and save her life.
Now let’s pause and consider - she is a wealthy and influential black woman in one of the most developed countries in the world.
She was minutes away from death IF this condition was not correctly identified and treated.
However Maternal Mortality (deaths of women from pregnancy related conditions) in the United States is still poor.
Now in Nigeria, we have structural health care challenges as well as poor patient awareness.
Sometimes PE doesn’t present with usual symptoms which makes it more challenging.
Consider the challenge that women in Nigeria and other Low and Middle Income Countries may face in the diagnosis and management of this condition.
I want women to be aware of this condition so that risks are identified, enough precautions taken and help sought quickly if needed.
While we don’t have studies to show how often this kills pregnant women in Nigeria, but as this study on African populations shows, there is significant risk.
If you found this post helpful and I hope you did, please share with others so we can have wider discussions about this condition.
Comments and questions welcome.
Editing by AskAwayHealth Team Disclaimer All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising Medical Practitioners on a wide range of health care conditions to provide evidence based guidance and to help promote quality health care. The advice in our material is not meant to replace management of your specific condition by a qualified health care practitioner. To discuss your condition, please contact a health practitioner or reach us directly through info@askawayhealth.org
