Preeclampsia in mothers linked with four-fold higher risk of heart attack in decade after childbirth

"The high risk of cardiovascular disease after preeclampsia manifests at young ages and early after delivery," said study author Dr." It is well established that preeclampsia predisposes women to an elevated likelihood of cardiovascular disease later in life.Participants were free of cardiovascular disease before pregnancy and were followed for a maximum of 39 years for heart attack and stroke.Hallum said, "This allowed us to evaluate exactly when cardiovascular disease occurs in women with and without preeclampsia, and to estimate risk in different age groups and at various durations of follow-up.

When the researchers examined the risk of cardiovascular disease according to age, they found that women aged 30 to 39 years with a history of preeclampsia had five- and three-fold higher rates of heart attack and stroke, respectively, than those of similar age with no history of preeclampsia.The raised likelihood of cardiovascular disease in those with a history of preeclampsia persisted throughout adulthood, with women over 50 years of age still at doubled risk compared to their peers with no history of the pregnancy complication.