Abstract 182: Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Cardiovascular Disease in the Mother: The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)

Abstract

Background: Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) occur in up to 15% of all pregnancies, and are associated with an increased risk of long-term atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in the mother. However, it is unclear if this association is independent of standard ASCVD risk factors or is present in multiethnic populations with adjudicated CVD events. Methods: Participants in the Women’s Health Initiative were asked to complete a retrospective survey in 2017 about APOs, [gestational diabetes, birthweight < 5 pounds, birth weight > 9 pounds, delivery > 3 weeks pre-term, and hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (gestational hypertension or preeclampsia)]. Cox models were used to assess the hazard for developing incident ASCVD (defined as adjudicated stroke, myocardial infarction, peripheral artery disease, coronary revascularization). Follow up began at the baseline study exam. Hazard ratios were assessed using the Cox model. Two primary models were employed for each individual APO: 1) univariate, and 2) adjusted for the baseline ASCVD risk factors of age, smoking, use of cholesterol lowering drugs, hypertension and diabetes. Results: The 50,679 respondents were 89.1% White, 5.2% Black, 2.4% Hispanic, 2.1% Asian-Pacific Islander, and 1.2% Other race. There were 12,499 (25%) women who reported an APO: 1041 (2.1%) had gestational diabetes, 6282 (12.4%) had low birth weight, 2970 (5.9%) had high birth weight, 7365 (14.5%) had a premature birth, and 3238 (6.4%) had preeclampsia or gestational hypertension. Over 1,020,899 person-years of follow up, 3569 (7.0%) adjudicated CVD events occurred. In univariate models, each APO was associated with ASCVD (Figure). In multivariable models adjusting for standard risk factors, all APOs were associated with a significantly increased risk of CVD (Figure), with the exception of high birth weight. There was no significant effect modification by race on these associations. Conclusion: Adverse pregnancy outcomes were associated with increased risk of late ASCVD in a multiethnic population of post-menopausal women, independent of ASCVD risk factors. Associations between APO and ASCVD were consistent across racial groups. APOs should be considered in CVD risk assessment in women.