Message from the JSSHP president

• Published in: Hypertension Research in Pregnancy Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 1
• Main Author: Ichihara, Atsuhiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy 28.02.2022
• ISSN: 2187-5987; 2187-9931
• DOI: 10.14390/jsshp.10.1

I have been appointed as new president of Japan Society of the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (JSSHP) on December 24, 2021. It’s truly an honor and privilege to serve as the president of this vibrant and growing organization.In 1980, the first congress on toxemia of pregnancy in Japan was held in Tokyo with Dr. Masakuni Suzuki and Dr. Hiroshi Furuya as facilitators, and laid the foundation of this society. Later, in 1993, the society was renamed Japan Society for the Study of Toxemia of Pregnancy, and then to JSSHP in 2004. In 2017, English notation of “pregnancyinduced hypertension”was altered to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and subsequently, the definition and the classification were revised in 2018. In 2019, with the effort of former President Hiroyuki Seki, the Society had begun a new step as a general incorporated association and now, for the first time in its long history, a physician is going to serve as the president of this society.HDP had been mainly managed by obstetricians, but recent advances in pathologic clarification and expanding medical needs have broaden the scope of this disease. Specific examples include the growing interest in HDP prevention (preconception care / interconception care) and prognosis (increased risk of cerebrocardiovascular events in women who had experienced HDP). Obstetricians still serve as the center of the medical care, but overtime, team-based care with physicians and medical staff is gaining even more relevance.On the other hand, from a social point of view, since the heightened awareness of diversity and inclusion has made women to play a greater role in society, the proportion of women having health problems before pregnancy is increasing. The addition of chronic hypertension to the HDP classification also makes it easier for us to predict that the number of pregnant women diagnosed with HDP will increase in the future. In addition, the recent expansion of SNS and advances in IoT have given the medical community the mission of utilizing online and AI. We must start considering how to apply online and AI also in HDP medical care. Furthermore, from the COVID-19 pandemic, we realized that problem that happened in one country spreads all over the world in a flash. In order to prevent and control diseases, it is mandatory to cooperate internationally. At the same time, the new normal lifestyle brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic reminded us of the value of life events such as pregnancy and childbirth. It is inevitable that public interest in HDP will increase further in the future.In order for JSSHP to keep on developing and improving, it is necessary for us to appropriately respond to these issues and to reform in response to the needs of society. I sincerely hope for JSSHP to steadily move forward by gathering our strengths.