Prevalence of Subclinical Coronary Artery Disease Assessed by Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in 45- to 55-Year-Old Women With a History of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), although evidence on premature CAD development after preeclampsia is limited.1 A cross-sectional study among 491 postmenopausal women with a mean age of 67 years showed an increased prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in participants with self-reported high blood pressure during any previous pregnancy in comparison with women without such a history.2 However, the association between hypertensive pregnancy, CAC, and coronary plaque formation has not been reconfirmed in prospective studies, and there are no data on the timeline by which atherosclerosis develops in women with previous preeclampsia. The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of coronary artery atherosclerosis of asymptomatic women aged 45 to 55 years who have a history of preeclampsia with a population-based reference cohort. The rationale and design of the CREW-IMAGO study (Cardiovascular Risk Profile: Imaging and Gender-Specific Disorders) have been published previously (URL: http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/index.asp. Unique identifier: NTR5531).3 Asymptomatic women, aged 45 to 55 years, with a history of preeclampsia 10 to 20 years earlier were included in this multicenter, prospective cohort study. Medical records, including pregnancy characteristics and hospital admission, were available for all women. Outcomes were compared with women of similar age and ethnicity who participated …