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Women with preeclampsia develop cerebrovascular disease risk factors
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Women with preeclampsia during pregnancy may be more likely to develop risk factors for cerebrovascular disease, according to findings presented at The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting. However, they are often not appropriately monitored by health care professionals following pregnancy.
“There is a significant number of women who develop risk factors for stroke after a pregnancy with preeclampsia,” Adriana J. Wong, MD/MPH candidate at University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, told Healio Internal Medicine. “The most common risk factors (not previously diagnosed) were hypertension, diabetes mellitus and migraine headaches.”
Wong and colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review of women (n = 183; mean age 32.3) who were diagnosed with preeclampsia at Jackson Memorial Hospital between 2012 and 2013 and who had been followed up within the Jackson Health System between 2014 and 2016. Researchers reviewed electronic medical records to assess whether these women developed hypertension, hyperlipidemia, migraines, obesity and diabetes mellitus 2 to 3 years after having preeclampsia. Researchers also looked to see if these conditions were managed with medication. SAS statistical software was utilized to calculate descriptive statistics.
After controlling for pre-existing conditions, the researchers found that, within 2 to 3 years, 14.2% of women with a history of preeclampsia developed hypertension, 3.8% developed dyslipidemia, 3.8% developed migraine, 3.8% developed obesity and 4.9% developed diabetes mellitus. Researchers discovered that of women with hypertension, 73.6% were prescribed an antihypertensive medication and 88.9% of women with diabetes were on pharmacologic therapy. No women with dyslipidemia had been prescribed a statin.
“Our data suggests that there should be a push for better postpartum follow-up of women with preeclampsia to monitor the development of risk factors for stroke and manage them appropriately,” Wong said. – by Melissa J. Webb
Reference:
Wong AJ, et al. Tracking the development of risk factors for vascular disease after pregnancy with preeclampsia. Presented at: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting; April 27-30, 2018; Austin, Texas.
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.