News - Hypertension Week of April 20, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 16

Study: Hypertension During Pregnancy Ups Future Cardiovascular Risk

Women with high blood pressure during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease in later life, according to a study reported in the April 19 issue of the British Medical Journal.

Prior studies have speculated that hypertension in pregnancy could be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in later life. However, those studies were retrospective and were based on the participants' memories as to whether they had hypertension during pregnancy.

In this prospective study, researchers from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland followed Scottish women during their first pregnancy in the years 1951 to 1970.

The researchers then revisited these women years later to check on their cardiovascular health status by asking them to fill out a questionnaire. The women who completed the survey were also invited to have a medical examination.

Women who experienced high blood pressure in pregnancy were found to have a long-term risk of hypertension, an increased risk of stroke and, to a lesser extent, an increased risk of ischemic heart disease.

The authors expressed the hope that the greater awareness of the association they found would lead to earlier diagnosis and improved management of hypertension.

Lead researcher Dr. W. Cairns S. Smith, a professor at the University of Aberdeen medical school, told Medical Week that women who were hypertensive during their pregnancies should be more aware that they could develop high blood pressure later in life. Such awareness, he added, should be linked regular blood pressure monitoring.

Other sources: British Medical Journal, 2003;326:845