Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jan/Feb;28(1):14-19.
doi: 10.1097/CRD.0000000000000253.

Pregnancy Complications as a Window to Future Cardiovascular Disease

Maya Dassanayake  1 , Elizabeth Langen  2 , Melinda B Davis  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Pregnancy Complications as a Window to Future Cardiovascular Disease

Maya Dassanayake et al. Cardiol Rev. 2020 Jan/Feb.

Abstract

Pregnancy is a time of significant hemodynamic, metabolic, and hormonal stress that can unmask underlying subclinical cardiovascular abnormalities, and pregnancy-related complications may serve as early warning signs for future risk of cardiovascular disease. The increased recognition of these sex-specific risk factors could identify women who may benefit from more intensive risk factor modification to reduce morbidity and mortality later in life. In this review, we describe several pregnancy-related complications that have been associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease, including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm delivery, and pregnancy loss. Pregnancy-associated risk factors must be identified to fully assess a woman's future cardiovascular risk and may influence strategies for risk reduction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Benjamin EJ, Virani SS, Callaway CW, et al.; American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics-2018 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2018;137:e67–e492.
    1. Bairey Merz CN, Andersen H, Sprague E, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding cardiovascular disease in women: the Women’s Heart Alliance. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017;70:123–132.
    1. Wilmot KA, O’Flaherty M, Capewell S, et al. Coronary heart disease mortality declines in the United States from 1979 through 2011: evidence for stagnation in young adults, especially women. Circulation. 2015;132:997–1002.
    1. Akosah KO, Schaper A, Cogbill C, et al. Preventing myocardial infarction in the young adult in the first place: how do the National Cholesterol Education Panel III guidelines perform? J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;41:1475–1479.
    1. Izadnegahdar M, Singer J, Lee MK, et al. Do younger women fare worse? Sex differences in acute myocardial infarction hospitalization and early mortality rates over ten years. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2014;23:10–17.

LinkOut - more resources