High blood pressure during pregnancy increases the risk of heart attack and stroke

According to a new study funded by the British Heart Foundation, women with high blood pressure during their pregnancy or a more serious condition called preeclampsia present a much higher risk of having a heart attack and stroke than others. BHF) and presented at the British Cardiovascular Society Conference today in Manchester.

By studying the information provided by nearly 6.5 million women in English hospitals between 1997 and 2015, a team from Cambridge University and the University of Bristol discovered just over 276,000 pregnancies affected by HIV. hypertension and 223 715 with preeclampsia. This high number of people studied for nearly twenty years has allowed them to research the risks of more than 15 different types of heart and circulatory diseases, ranging from heart attacks and strokes to heart failure in going through cardiomyopathy.

The team found that the risk of developing serious heart and circulatory disease increased by 45% if a woman had high blood pressure during pregnancy, or by nearly 70% for women with preeclampsia, compared to women with pre-eclampsia. the blood pressure was normal. during pregnancy.

For example, during the first pregnancy, 3 out of 1000 women with normal blood pressure developed heart and circulatory diseases after pregnancy, while in women with high blood pressure during pregnancy, this rate was 5 out of 1000. 6 out of 1000 for women who had pre-eclampsia.

A history of high blood pressure during pregnancy has increased the risk of having the most common form of stroke by 80% and doubling the risk of potentially fatal cardiomyopathies, a family of diseases where the heart muscle is sick and becomes unable to pump blood.

A history of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy has tripled the risk of heart attacks and doubled the risk of cardiomyopathy compared to women with normal blood pressure during pregnancy.

The more a woman had affected pregnancies, the more her risk of serious cardiac and circulatory complications increased. For example, women with two or more pregnancies with high blood pressure were twice as likely to have a stroke as those with normal blood pressure. Women who had two or more pregnancies with preeclampsia were nearly 4 times more likely to experience the most common form of stroke and 3 times more likely to have a heart attack, compared to women having a pregnancy with normal blood pressure.

Pregnancy-related high blood pressure, or pregnancy-induced hypertension, is high blood pressure that begins for the first time when a woman is pregnant and usually disappears after childbirth. It can be mild (90-99 / 140-149), moderate (100-109 / 150-159) or severe (greater than 110/160). This study covered almost all women (97%) who gave birth in England during 18-year studies. 3% of women studied had pre-eclampsia and 4% had high blood pressure during pregnancy.

Ms. Clare Oliver-Williams, who led the research at the University of Cambridge, said:

"The women we studied had all recently given birth, so they were younger than the average person who suffered a heart attack or stroke.So, although the number of serious events, such as heart attacks and strokes, is not huge, it exists to increase.

"A pregnant woman can be busy worrying about a lot – her date of birth, her job, and maybe her other children, so it can be easy to get in last. important that all expectant mothers keep a close eye on heart and circulatory health, and it is equally important for doctors to recognize the symptoms of heart and circulatory diseases in women who have had complications during their pregnancy . "

Professor Metin Avkiran, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, who funded this research, said:

"This study does not show that high blood pressure or the development of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy mean that you are going to have a heart attack or stroke, but this raises important red flags.

"High blood pressure during pregnancy can be an early sign of an underlying problem that may later cause other heart and circulatory diseases. We still do not understand exactly what causes pre-eclampsia. Many other searches are in progress. necessary to better understand the condition and improve the lives of people with heart disease and circulation, pregnant or not. "

Although this research looked at women in the years following their pregnancy, these findings come after the 2018 MBRRACE report found that heart disease remained the leading cause of death for women within six weeks of ending of pregnancy. Many symptoms of heart disease resemble those expected during pregnancy and shortly after birth: shortness of breath, tiredness and swollen ankles. This year, at the BCS conference, cardiologist Dr. Dawn Adamson stresses the need for doctors not to leave out suspicious symptoms in pregnant women.

In addition to funding 22.7 million pounds of high blood pressure research and just over one million books on pre-eclampsia, BHF is currently funding community-based projects of high value. 1.5 million pounds across the country to reach and test those most affected. risk of high blood pressure in everyday environments such as train stations, hairdressing salons and football pitches. The charity says that in the UK, reaching out to hospitals and GPs is essential so that millions of people with undiagnosed hypertension understand their risks and can get treatment and care. the advice they need.

Provided by
British Heart Foundation