A team of researchers from the University of Aberdeen has carried out a comprehensive study of women during pregnancy, the results of which will be published in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ), (Friday, April 18). The collaborative study, involving researchers from the Departments of Public Health, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and General Practice & Primary Care, highlights that women who have high blood pressure (hypertension) during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease in later life.
Professor Cairns Smith, Department of Public Health, who led the study, commended the joint working between Departments from across the Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences at the University in the study. He said: "One of the unique strengths of the Aberdeen University Medical School is the way different Departments work closely together. This joint working makes this type of research possible - plus the high quality records at the Maternity Hospital, and the willingness of the local communities to participate in research."
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, involved three groups of women, selected from the Aberdeen maternity databank, and who were living in Aberdeen during their first pregnancy in the years 1951 to 1970. One group had been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia or eclampsia during their pregnancy, the second had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, and the third group had no history of raised blood pressure.
Over 3,500 women were asked to complete a questionnaire and were invited to attend a medical examination. Women who experienced raised blood pressure in pregnancy had a long-term risk of hypertension, an increased risk of stroke and, to a lesser extent, an increased risk of ischaemic heart disease. Long-term cardiovascular risks were greatest for women with pre-eclampsia.
The authors concluded that if greater awareness of this association leads to earlier diagnosis and improved management, there may be scope for reducing a proportion of the illness and death from such diseases.