Pre-eclampsia increases risk of heart disease, reveals research

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death for women. In her doctoral thesis, Minttu Venetkoski, MD, studied the association between pre-eclampsia and the subsequent risk of ischaemic heart disease and stroke, and explored the impact of menopausal hormone therapy on this risk.

“Pre-eclampsia occurs in about 5% of pregnancies. Women with a history of pre-eclampsia have an approximately 1.5-fold risk for cardiovascular disease. When such women entered menopause and used hormone therapy to alleviate menopausal symptoms, it simultaneously reduced their risk for cardiovascular disease,” explains Venetkoski.

Important for doctors to be aware of pre-eclampsia history

Doctors are not always as aware of a patient’s history of pre-eclampsia as they are of other cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol. Venetkoski calls for healthcare professionals to consider hypertensive disorders of pregnancy when assessing cardiovascular risk.

“Women entering menopause should tell doctors if they have a history of pre-eclampsia. The postmenopausal period often accounts for up to 40% of a woman’s life,” she stresses.