Heart disease ‘raises risk of complications in pregnancy’ (The Scotsman)(Pregnancy News)

WOMEN showing the early signs of heart disease face a greater risk of suffering a life-threatening condition in pregnancy, researchers said yesterday. In the latest research, a team from Norway studied almost 4,000 women and looked at heart disease risk factors including high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels before pregnancy. The researchers said that the chances of developing pre-eclampsia were seven times greater in women with high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels before pregnancy, compared to those with normal levels. A family history of high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes doubled the risk of pre-eclampsia, while being overweight or obese also increased the risk. Researchers found women with a history of pre-eclampsia had an almost four-fold increased risk of high blood pressure and a twofold increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke and blood clots. read more

Technorati Tags: preeclampsia, women, risk, blood, pregnancy, heart, pregnancy news

This entry was posted on Friday, November 2nd, 2007 at 7:10 pm and is filed under Pregnancy News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.