Key result
Excess weight during pregnancy linked to ~34% higher left ventricular mass in primiparous women.
Why the study?
It was unknown whether cardiac remodeling during pregnancy in obese individuals with metabolic syndrome is abnormal and predisposes them to higher risk for cardiovascular disorders.
Does preexisting metabolic syndrome or excess weight induce pathological cardiac remodeling in pregnant females?
Does preexisting metabolic syndrome or excess weight induce pathological cardiac remodeling in pregnant females?
Absolute Event Rate: 133% vs 99.14%
Metabolic syndrome and excess weight during pregnancy induce pathological, rather than physiological, cardiac remodeling, potentially predisposing affected individuals to future cardiovascular disorders.
May link excess pregnancy weight to future CV risk; leaves open translation beyond this animal model.
BACKGROUND: The heart undergoes physiological hypertrophy during pregnancy in healthy individuals. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is now prevalent in women of child-bearing age and might add risks of adverse cardiovascular events during pregnancy. The present study asks if cardiac remodeling during pregnancy in obese individuals with MetS is abnormal and whether this predisposes them to a higher risk for cardiovascular disorders. METHODS: The idea that MetS induces pathological cardiac remodeling during pregnancy was studied in a long-term (15 weeks) Western diet-feeding animal model that recapitulated features of human MetS. Pregnant female mice with Western diet (45% kcal fat)-induced MetS were compared with pregnant and nonpregnant females fed a control diet (10% kcal fat). RESULTS: Pregnant mice fed a Western diet had increased heart mass and exhibited key features of pathological hypertrophy, including fibrosis and upregulation of fetal genes associated with pathological hypertrophy. Hearts from pregnant animals with WD-induced MetS had a distinct gene expression profile that could underlie their pathological remodeling. Concurrently, pregnant female mice with MetS showed more severe cardiac hypertrophy and exacerbated cardiac dysfunction when challenged with angiotensin II/phenylephrine infusion after delivery. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that preexisting MetS could disrupt physiological hypertrophy during pregnancy to produce pathological cardiac remodeling that could predispose the heart to chronic disorders.
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Yang et al. (2021) studied Pregnancy with excess weight or metabolic syndrome (n=38). Excess weight / Metabolic syndrome vs. Normal weight / Control diet was evaluated on Left ventricular mass in the third trimester. Excess weight during pregnancy was associated with pathological cardiac remodeling, including increased left ventricular mass compared to normal weight in primiparous women.
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