Key result
High gestational CVH linked to ~21% lower risk of adverse maternal outcomes vs low CVH.
Why the study?
Pregnancy is considered a crucial window for cardiovascular health assessment and management, but the relationship between gestational CVH metrics and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Chinese women needed investigation.
Does a higher gestational cardiovascular health score reduce the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women?
Cohort (n=2,775)
No
Does a higher gestational cardiovascular health score reduce the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women?
Relative Risk: 0.79 (95% CI 0.72–0.87)
Absolute Event Rate: 43.1% vs 54.7%
p-value: p=<0.001
Higher gestational cardiovascular health scores are significantly associated with a lower risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, highlighting the importance of optimizing cardiovascular health during pregnancy.
Supports gestational CVH assessment for risk stratification; leaves open whether improving CVH reduces outcomes in prospective trials.
BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is regarded as a crucial window period for the assessment and management of cardiovascular health (CVH). This study investigated the relationship between the gestational CVH metrics of Chinese women and adverse pregnancy outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Six separate CVH metrics (smoking status, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and sleep health) were measured at 24-28 gestational weeks and categorized as ideal (2 points), intermediate (1 point), or poor (0 point) to generate a gestational CVH score. Total gestational CVH was categorized as high (all ideal metrics), moderate (no poor metrics), or low (one or more poor metric). Associations between gestational CVH and adverse pregnancy outcomes were evaluated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Among the 2,775 pregnant women included, 36.07%, 36.11%, and 27.82% had high, moderate, and low CVH, respectively. Each one-point increase in the CVH score was significantly associated with 7% and 4% lower risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes (relative risk [RR], 0.93 and 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90-0.95 and 0.93-0.98). Compared with low CVH, high CVH was associated with 21% and 12% lower risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes (RR, 0.79 and 0.88; 95% CI, 0.72-0.87 and 0.80-0.96). Individual CVH metrics also showed associations with adverse pregnancy outcomes, in which ideal body mass index, fasting blood glucose and sleep health were particularly important. CONCLUSIONS: High gestational CVH was significantly associated with a considerably lower risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but approximately two-thirds of pregnant Chinese women do not achieve a high level of CVH.
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Wu et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Pregnancy (n=2,775). High gestational cardiovascular health vs. Low gestational cardiovascular health was evaluated on Adverse maternal outcomes (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.72-0.87, p=<0.001). High gestational cardiovascular health was associated with a 21% lower risk of adverse maternal outcomes and a 12% lower risk of adverse neonatal outcomes compared to low cardiovascular health.
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