Central adiposity impairs vascular health in women with pre-eclampsia history

Young women with a history of pre-eclampsia (PE) are at significantly increased cardiovascular risk, and the presence of central adiposity (CA) may worsen their vascular health, according to a study.

The authors performed a retrospective case‒control study using data from a Brazilian cohort initiated in 1978/1979, with follow-up in 2016/2017. They evaluated a total of 1,775 individuals, of which 929 were women, with 188 reporting PE history.

Women were then categorized as having PE history or no PE history (CTL) and further classified by the presence of CA (waist circumference ≥88 cm). The authors also recorded cardiovascular events, blood pressure, and arterial stiffness.

Hypertension was present in 66.7 percent of women with PE and CA and 69.7 percent of those with PE but no CA. A 19-fold higher risk was noted in women with PE and CA and a 24-fold greater risk in those with PE and no CA relative to their counterparts with CTL and no CA.

In conditional inference tree analysis, PE was the most robust predictor of hypertension (p<0.0001), followed by CA (p<0.0001) and dyslipidemia (p=0.019). CA also significantly exacerbated systolic blood pressure (24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring [ABPM]: 15.6 mm Hg; daytime ABPM: 15.9 mm Hg; office: 15.3 mm Hg) and elevated pulse wave velocity by 1.14 m/s in women with PE history.

“Early cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention strategies are essential for young women with a history of PE to prevent future cardiovascular events,” the authors said.