Cardiovascular risk factors in women who had hypertensive disorders late in pregnancy: a cohort study

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine cardiovascular risk factors in women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy disorders at term (HTP) 2.5 years after pregnancy.STUDY DESIGN: In a multicenter cohort study in The Netherlands from June 2008 through November 2010, cardiovascular risk factors were compared between women with a history of HTP (HTP cohort, n = 306) and women with a history of normotensive pregnancies at term (NTP cohort, n = 99). HTP women had participated in a randomized, longitudinal trial assessing the effectiveness of induction of labor in women with hypertensive pregnancy disorders at term. All women were assessed 2.5 years after pregnancy for blood pressure, anthropometrics, glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, insulin, homeostatic model assessment score, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and microalbumin and metabolic syndrome.RESULTS: After a mean follow-up period of 2.5 years, hypertension (HTP, 34%; NTP, 1%; P CONCLUSION: In women with a history of HTP, hypertension and metabolic syndrome are more common, and they have higher levels of biochemical cardiovascular risk factors 2.5 years after pregnancy.