High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Boosts Disease Risk Later in Life

A new study found that women who experience high blood pressure during pregnancy have a higher risk of stroke, heart, and kidney disease. “The study, which included nearly 5,000 women, isn't the first to report the association, Garovic said. ‘But this is the largest study and the first study to include multiracial subjects,’ she said.” About 10 percent of pregnancies are affected by high blood pressure. Garovic and her colleagues analyzed data from 4,782 women who all had a high family risk of high blood pressure and were participating in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Blood Pressure Program study from 2000 to 2005. Women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy had twice the risk of stroke as those who had normal pressure during pregnancy. Women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy also had 1.5 times the risk of heart attack and 1.5 times the risk of developing high blood pressure after age 40, the researchers found.
The reason why the elevated blood pressure boosts risk later in life is not known, but Garvoic said the conditions may share risk factors such as obesity. I found this aspect of physiology interesting because Garovic’s research and other recent studies suggest the effects of pregnancy-related high blood pressure are more long-lasting and serious than believed.
From: http://health.msn.com/pregnancykids/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100148854