IMPACT OF PREVIOUS HYPERTENSIVE DISORDER DURING PREGNANCY ON ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS, 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS

Abstract

Objective: Preeclampsia (PE) increased the risk of cardiovascular diseases even in women without previous arterial hypertension (AH). The possible causes include changes in metabolic profile and vascular abnormalities, such as increased arterial stiffness. We aim to compare anthropometric measurements, 24-hour blood pressure profile, and arterial stiffness in women who developed PE during pregnancy with (superimposed PE) or without (isolated PE) a previous history of AH. Design and method: We selected from registries of a tertiary hospital women with a previous pregnancy complicated by isolated PE or superimposed PE that occurred 2 to 5 years earlier. Anthropometric measurements: weight, height, body mass index – BMI and waist circumference (WC); Blood pressure (BP) measurements: office Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP); 24-ambulatory BP monitoring; Arterial stiffness: pulse wave velocity (PWV) measured by Arteriograph® method. Results: Twenty-five patients were evaluated. Conclusions: Women previous superimposed PE had higher values of WC, awake SBP and PWV when compared to women with isolated PE. These results indicate incremental impairment of vascular and metabolic profile of PE on women with previous chronic AH.