Lipid ratios improve early detection of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy

Abstract

In a normal healthy pregnancy, increased lipid profiles help to encourage fetal development, but in hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, these changes in lipid profiles are amplified, which may predispose these women to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The study's aim was to determine the alteration in lipid profile levels of women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and also calculate their atherogenic risk ratios, with the view to improving the predictive capacity of the lipid assay for the risk of arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular incidence. This study enlisted 190 participants, which included 124 pregnant women with preeclampsia, 30 pregnant women with pregnancy-induced hypertension, and 36 pregnant women with normal blood pressure who served as controls. Lipid profile was determined via the enzymatic method from blood samples obtained from the participants. When compared to normotensive control study participants, patients with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy had a slight increase in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, as well as a substantial difference in triglyceride levels. Despite minor increases in total and LDL cholesterol levels, the case group's mean atherogenic index plasma, atherogenic coefficient, and Castelli risk index I and II were all higher than the control group's. Individual lipid parameter measurements were found to be ineffective in evaluating the relative contribution of lipids to cardiovascular risk in pregnant patients with hypertensive disorders. Lipid ratios, also known as atherogenic indices, were found to be more effective in assessing the relative contribution of lipids to cardiovascular risk.