Women who did not have hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) could still be at risk for hypertension later, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
A new study of 174,774 women linked early pregnancy blood pressure to hypertension risk. Participants were seen at Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 2009 and 2019. Each woman had no previous kidney, liver, heart disease, or preeclampsia. Their health was studied for 14 years post-delivery. Findings revealed “that women who showed certain blood pressure patterns during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to develop hypertension later in life.”
Six risk groups were found “ranging from ultra-low to elevated-stable patterns.” Additionally, “women with elevated-stable blood pressure patterns were at the highest risk.”
The researchers hope these findings will aid early diagnosis and treatment. The study is published in Hypertension.
