Shared Constitutional Risks for Maternal Vascular-Related Pregnancy Complications and Future Cardiovascular Disease

Maternal predisposition to vascular and metabolic disease may underlie both vascular-related pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction, as well as future maternal cardiovascular disease. We aimed to substantiate this hypothesis with biochemical and anthropometric evidence by conducting an intergenerational case-control study in a Dutch isolated population including 106 women after preeclampsia or intrauterine growth restriction (median follow-up: 7.1 years) and their fathers (n=43) and mothers (n=64), as well as 106 control subjects after uncomplicated pregnancies with their fathers (n=51) and mothers (n=68). Cardiovascular risk profiles were assessed, including fasting glucose, lipids, anthropometrics, blood pressure, intima-media thickness, and metabolic syndrome. We found significantly higher fasting glucose levels, larger waist circumferences, and a 5-fold increased prevalence of hypertension in women with a history of preeclampsia as compared with control subjects ( P P P P P P P