Pre-Eclampsia May Increase Women’s Future Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Most people are familiar with the medical condition referred to as hypertension or high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure during pregnancy may lead to the pregnancy condition known as pre-eclampsia. This condition is characterized by two main symptoms, high blood pressure and protein present in the urine. Pre-eclampsia is dangerous and can lead to serious complications for mother and baby, and possibly even death. This is one of the reasons that your OB/GYN healthcare provider checks your blood pressure every time you come in for an appointment. It is important for them to monitor any changes and possible signs they see of pre-eclampsia so that it can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. According to the National Library of Medicine, pre-eclampsia is related to 2% to 8% of pregnancy complications and is responsible for 50,000 maternal deaths and over 500,000 fetal deaths worldwide.¹

Recently there has been new information emerging about pre-eclampsia. A research team published an article about the long-term effects of pre-eclampsia on women in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The researchers found that women who had pre-eclampsia during pregnancy are at a greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the future.²

In this study, the researchers analyzed national registers in Denmark from 1978 to 2017, which included more than 1.1 million women who experienced pre-eclampsia with no prior history of having high blood pressure. Then the researchers followed up with these women and found some interesting trends. They found that up to 2% of the women with pre-eclampsia in their first pregnancy had a heart attack or stroke within twenty years of giving birth compared to only 1.2% of women not affected by pre-eclampsia. It was also found that women with pre-eclampsia were four times more likely to have a heart attack and three times more likely to have a stroke within 10 years of delivery compared to women not affected by pre-eclampsia.²

Lead researcher Dr. Sara Hallum, told U.S. News and World Report, “The high risk of cardiovascular disease after pre-eclampsia manifests at young ages and early after delivery. This indicates that interventions to prevent heart attacks and strokes in affected women cannot wait until middle age when they become eligible for conventional cardiovascular screening programs.”²

The bottom line is that prevention and early detection is key. Regularly monitor blood pressure before and after becoming pregnant. While pregnant, attend all of your doctor’s appointments so that they can monitor and detect any changes early. If you are diagnosed with preeclampsia, follow your healthcare provider’s instructions.