Key result
Among women undergoing routine gynecology evaluation, cardiovascular risk factors were highly prevalent, and patients with a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes were significantly more likely to have risk factors compared to those without (89.5% vs. 83.9%, p=0.002).
Why the study?
To examine the prevalence and patient awareness of cardiovascular risk factors, and their association with adverse pregnancy outcomes, among women presenting to outpatient obstetrics/gynecology clinics.
Does a simple cardiovascular risk screening questionnaire identify unrecognized cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms in women undergoing routine OB/GYN evaluation?
Cross-Sectional (n=2,946)
Yes
Does a simple cardiovascular risk screening questionnaire identify unrecognized cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms in women undergoing routine OB/GYN evaluation?
Absolute Event Rate: 89.5% vs 83.9%
p-value: p=0.002
Routine cardiovascular screening in OB/GYN clinics is feasible and reveals a high prevalence of unrecognized cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms among women, highlighting a critical opportunity for early intervention.
May inform targeted CV risk assessment in OB/GYN for women with APO history; extends observational data but requires prospective validation.
Background: The goals of this multicenter survey were to examine the prevalence and patient awareness of cardiovascular risk factors, and the association between history of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO—including gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia) and prevalence of cardiovascular risks among women presenting to outpatient obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN) clinics. Materials and Methods: We surveyed 2,946 female patients attending 16 outpatient OB/GYN clinics across the United States between January 2010 and January 2012. Main outcome measures were self-reported cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms such as angina and dyspnea. Results: Mean age of the patients was 51 ± 13.6 years. Cardiovascular risks and symptoms were highly prevalent (86.0% and 40.1%, respectively). Many patients did not know if they had common risk factors such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes (18.4%, 32.0%, and 17.9%, respectively). Women with a history of APO were slightly more likely to be aware of common risk factors, including abnormal blood pressure (17% vs. 18.6%), high cholesterol (31.7% vs. 32%), and obesity/elevated body mass index (43.9% vs. 49.7%). Compared with patients with no history of APO, patients with APO (n = 380, 12.9%) were more likely to have risk factors (89.5% vs. 83.9%, p = 0.002) and symptoms (45.5% vs. 39.3%, p = 0.02). Conclusions: Awareness of cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms among all women surveyed in this study was poor, although awareness for some risk factors was relatively higher among patients with APO. This study demonstrates the feasibility of cardiovascular assessment in OB/GYN clinics using a simple questionnaire and its potential role for early recognition and timely intervention.
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Yu et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Cardiovascular risk factors (n=2,946). History of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) vs. No history of adverse pregnancy outcomes was evaluated on Prevalence of any traditional or lifestyle-related cardiovascular risk factor (p=0.002). Among women undergoing routine gynecology evaluation, cardiovascular risk factors were highly prevalent, and patients with a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes were significantly more likely to have risk factors compared to those without (89.5% vs. 83.9%, p=0.002).
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