The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners today launched a new global roadmap to tackle hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, which affect millions of women every year. These disorders remain among the leading causes of death and serious illness for pregnant women and their babies, with tragic long-term impact on their families.
Hypertensive disorders complicate an estimated 10–15% of pregnancies worldwide. They account for around 16% of maternal deaths globally, resulting in an estimated 42 000 deaths each year, as well as more than 500 000 stillbirths and newborn deaths.
In many countries, women still lack reliable access to basic blood-pressure measurement, urine protein testing and essential medicines, including aspirin, antihypertensives and magnesium sulfate. Weak referral systems, shortages of trained health workers and limited emergency obstetric services can further delay life-saving care.
“Pre-eclampsia can develop in any pregnancy. Whether it becomes fatal depends on whether a woman's blood pressure was checked in time, and whether quality emergency care was within reach when it turned severe,” said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of WHO’s Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing. “This roadmap brings together research, medicines, clinical guidance, health systems and political action so that a woman’s chances of surviving pregnancy and having a baby do not depend on where she lives.”
Launched at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Global Conference, the Global roadmap for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy from 2026 to 2035 and beyond sets out coordinated actions across research and innovation, global clinical guidance, access to medicines and diagnostics, implementation, advocacy and accountability.
The roadmap highlights a striking innovation gap between the scale of the problem and the lack of medicines specifically developed and approved by regulators for the prevention or treatment of pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. Research investment has largely focused on diagnostics, with chronic underinvestment in new preventive and treatment options.
To change this, WHO brought together more than 140 partners at a global summit in May 2026 to identify and answer 20 priority research questions to guide future investment that will help predict, detect and treat hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. In low- and middle-income countries, gaps in antenatal care, medicines, diagnostics, trained health workers and emergency services mean women are more likely to develop severe complications or die. Women affected by poverty, humanitarian crises, geographic isolation and other challenges face particularly high risks.
Pre-eclampsia can also have consequences for mothers long after childbirth. Women affected by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy face increased risks later in life of chronic hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney disease, while children exposed during pregnancy can face increased risks associated with preterm birth and longer-term cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
WHO asks governments, funders, researchers, health professionals, industry, civil society and development partners to align investment and action around one goal: ensuring that proven interventions and future innovations reach the women and babies who need them most.
About WHO
Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, WHO leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the United Nations’ agency for health that connects nations, partners and people in more than 150 locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to support all countries to promote, provide and protect health. The theme of World Health Day 2026, “Together for health. Stand with science”, marks a year-long campaign to highlight science as the foundation for protecting health and well-being worldwide.