High BP in pregnancy indicator of increased heart disease risk

In the study involving 400 Ontario women, the researchers found underlying cardiovascular risk factors of elevated blood pressure and lipids fats at a rate that was two to three times greater than the control group.

8220;This should be on every obstetrician8217;s and family doctor8221;s radar screen,8221; said Queen8217;s University professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Graeme Smith.

8220;What8217;s exciting for our research team is that we8217;re mostly dealing with young, healthy women who now have the opportunity to protect themselves from developing a life-threatening condition years down the road,8221; he added.

The researchers don8217;t think that pre-eclampsia causes these symptoms, however. 8220;They probably pre-dated pregnancy and were the background upon which pre-eclampsia developed,8221; said Dr. Smith.

He suggests that pre-eclampsia is the earliest marker of potential future cardiovascular risk.

The findings are published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.