Preeclampsia and Heart Disease: A Bidirectional Link

Prepregnancy cardiovascular risk factors are associated with increased
preeclampsia risk, and in turn, preeclampsia may increase the risk for
subsequent cardiovascular disease, according to two studies in BMJ.

In one study, researchers measured cardiovascular risk factors and
then assessed pregnancy outcomes about 4 years later; some 3500 women
who gave birth to singletons were included. After multivariable
adjustment, women with the highest prepregnancy blood pressures had
about seven times the risk for preeclampsia, while those with the
highest BMIs, waist circumferences, or LDL or total cholesterol levels
had twice the risk.

The second study, a meta-analysis involving nearly 200,000 women who'd
had preeclampsia and 3.3 million who had not, found that the condition
increased the risk for hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke,
and venous thromboembolism 5 to 14 years later.

According to editorialists, women who've had preeclampsia should
undergo cardiovascular risk assessment 3 to 6 months after delivery,
as well as early screening for traditional CVD markers.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmj.39366.416817.BEv1

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmj.39335.385301.BEv1