Key result
Pre-eclampsia shares maternal and fetal genetic architecture with blood pressure regulation and later cardiovascular disease.
Why the study?
The Finnish Genetics of Pre-eclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) was established to identify the genetic and molecular determinants of pre-eclampsia and to understand the complex, long-term association between pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular disease within families. This update summarises the final dataset, key findings since 2016, and current research directions.
What are the maternal, paternal, and fetal genetic and molecular determinants of pre-eclampsia, and how does prior pre-eclampsia influence long-term cardiovascular disease risk in affected families?
Case-Control (n=2,810)
Yes
What are the maternal, paternal, and fetal genetic and molecular determinants of pre-eclampsia, and how does prior pre-eclampsia influence long-term cardiovascular disease risk in affected families?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
This cohort profile update details the finalized 2,810-woman FINNPEC clinical and genomic database, highlighting shared genetic pathways between pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular disease and enabling long-term family-based cardiovascular risk stratification.
PURPOSE: The Finnish Genetics of Pre-eclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) study was originally established between 2008 and 2011 to develop a nationwide clinical and genomic database. By enrolling women with and without pre-eclampsia (PE), alongside their partners and infants, the study aims to identify the genetic and molecular determinants of PE. This update summarises the final dataset, reviews key findings since the 2016 cohort profile, and outlines current research directions. PARTICIPANTS: FINNPEC is a multicentre, cross-sectional case-control cohort collected across five Finnish university hospitals. The final cohort comprises 2810 women (1654 PE cases and 1156 controls), with comprehensive biological samples and clinical data collected from their children and the children's fathers.A longitudinal subgroup-the FINNCARE study-enrolled 192 families with prior PE and 92 control families between 2019 and 2022. This subgroup underwent cardiovascular risk profiling and participated in a randomised controlled trial evaluating a 12-month lifestyle intervention to mitigate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk 8-12 years postpartum. FINDINGS TO DATE: Research within FINNPEC has provided novel insights into maternal and fetal genetic susceptibility, revealing a shared genetic architecture between PE, blood pressure regulation and CVD. Studies have also advanced our understanding of the role of angiogenic imbalance, metabolic alterations and non-traditional risk factors in the pathogenesis of PE. FUTURE PLANS: The current aim is to understand the complex, long-term association of PE and CVD within families. Ongoing studies focus on (1) risk stratification using registry data to classify CVD risk in women with prior PE; (2) assessing how genetic susceptibility to PE and CVD predicts pregnancy outcomes and later-life cardiovascular health; and (3) exploring how paternal and fetal genetics influence maternal PE risk and subsequent CVD morbidity.
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Jääskeläinen et al. (2026) conducted a case-control in Pre-eclampsia (n=2,810). Pre-eclampsia vs. Normotensive non-pre-eclamptic control pregnancies was evaluated on Genetic, molecular, and clinical determinants of pre-eclampsia and subsequent long-term cardiovascular disease risk. The FINNPEC cohort of 2,810 women (1,654 pre-eclampsia cases, 1,156 controls) identified shared maternal and fetal genetic architecture between pre-eclampsia, blood pressure regulation, and later cardiovascular disease.
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