Study finds pregnancy problems can affect heart health
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Women who suffer from a dangerous high blood pressure condition and other complications of pregnancy are at risk of getting cardiovascular disease later in life, the American Heart Association reports in recently updated guidelines that aim to start efforts to prevent heart disease earlier than in the past.
In its 2007 guidelines, the heart association indicates preeclampsia may be "an early indicator" of a risk of cardiovascular disease. This year, pregnancy complication history, which also includes gestational diabetes, is linked with medical and family histories to top a list of six factors physicians should use in evaluating a woman's risk of heart disease.
Female patients with autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis also should be considered at risk for heart disease and be screened for additional risk factors, according to the guidelines.
Cardiovascular disease includes stroke, heart attacks, leaking valves and electrical problems leading to heart failure.
"Those are the two biggest additions [to the guidelines] as far as stratifying risk, things we need to look at," said cardiologist Beth Piccione, of the UPMC Cardiovascular Institute at UPMC Horizon in Greenville, who speaks on women's heart health.
Instead of measuring a woman's risk of disease across 10 years, as in the 2007 report, the new guidelines recommend looking at the risk in her lifetime. By changing the way women are evaluated for how likely they will get heart disease, the way they are treated to prevent it can change. The sooner their risks are established, the sooner treatment and prevention can begin.
The guidelines also call for more stringent exercise, including muscle-strengthening activities, and the use of blood thinners for women with histories of an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation. The condition is more common in women than men but, Dr. Piccione said, "the man is more likely to be on appropriate therapy."
First Published March 28, 2011 12:00 am
