Why the study?
Is preeclampsia associated with increased arterial stiffness compared to normotensive pregnancies or gestational hypertension?
Is preeclampsia associated with increased arterial stiffness compared to normotensive pregnancies or gestational hypertension?
Preeclampsia is associated with significantly increased arterial stiffness compared to normotensive pregnancies and gestational hypertension, which may contribute to future cardiovascular risk.
Preeclampsia-associated stiffness elevation may signal heightened long-term CV risk; extends observational data but requires prospective outcome trials before guiding practice.
A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library to investigate the association between preeclampsia and arterial stiffness. Twenty-three relevant studies were included. A significant increase in all arterial stiffness indices combined was observed in women with preeclampsia vs. women with normotensive pregnancies [standardized mean difference 1.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-2.50]; carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and augmentation index (AIx) were also significantly increased (weighted mean difference, WMDcfPWV 1.04, 95% CI 0.34-1.74; WMDAIx 15.10, 95% CI 5.08-25.11), whereas carotid-radial PWV (crPWV) increase did not reach significance (WMDcrPWV 0.99, 95% CI -0.07 to 2.05). Significant increases in arterial stiffness measurements were noted in women with preeclampsia compared with those with gestational hypertension. Arterial stiffness measurements may also be useful in predicting preeclampsia and may play a role in the increased risk of future cardiovascular complications seen in women with a history of preeclampsia.
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Hausvater et al. (2011) studied this question.
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