Kjartan Moe has looked at methods to improve risk stratification for cardiovascular disease in women with pregnancies complicated by hypertension.
MAIN RESULTS:
- Pregnant women with acute atherosis do not have increased levels of cardiovascular risk factors.
- Common risk prediction models are inadequate in assessing cardiovascular disease risk one-year postpartum.
- Hypertensive pregnancies are not independently associated with increased pulse wave velocity.
THESIS DEFENCE:
Thesis: Cardiovascular Risk markers after Preeclampsia and Gestational Hypertension
Candidate: Kjartan Moe
Time: June 19, 2020 at 11:15
Place: Online-based solution, due to the covid-19 situation
Link to university website
SUMMARY:
(1) Acute atherosis does generally not associate with classical cardiovascular risk factors in pregnant women. 237 women were included in the study, and neither in healthy pregnancies nor pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia, diabetes mellitus or both were acute atherosis linked to hyperlipidemia, glucose intolerance, elevated C-reactive protein, age or body mass index. In the full cohort, acute atherosis linked to higher systolic blood pressure, probably because more women with preeclampsia had acute atherosis. In the pregnant women aged 36 or older, acute atherosis was associated with higher levels of LDL and apolipoprotein B.
(2) 10-year scoring systems for cardiovascular disease risk are inapplicable one year post-partum since most women giving birth are below 40 years of age. Thus, Moe and colleagues used three longer-term risk scales to assess cardiovascular risk in 235 women. Generally, the risk score was only marginally increased in women with hypertensive pregnancies complication compared to women with normotensive pregnancies.
(3) Women with preeclampsia or gestational hypertension have significantly elevated pulse wave velocity levels one year post-partum compared to women with healthy pregnancies. However, the association disappeared after adjusting for other markers of vascular function. Augmentation index, carotid wall thickness and reactive hyperemia index were not altered one year after hypertensive pregnancies.
REFERENCES:
(1) Moe, K., Alnaes-Katjavivi, P., Størvold, G. L., Sugulle, M., Johnsen, G. M., Redman, C. W., Dechend, R., & Staff, A. C. (2018). Classical cardiovascular risk markers in pregnancy and associations to uteroplacental acute atherosis. Hypertension, 72(3), 695-702.
(2) Moe, K., Sugulle, M., Dechend, R., & Staff, A. C. (2019). Risk prediction of maternal cardiovascular disease one year after hypertensive pregnancy complications or gestational diabetes mellitus. European journal of preventive cardiology, 2047487319879791.
(3) Moe, K., Sugulle, M., Dechend, R., Angel, K., & Staff, A. C. (2020). Functional and structural vascular biomarkers in women 1 year after a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Pregnancy Hypertension.