Pregnancy complications increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke in women with high blood pressure

High blood pressure increases the risk of diseases of the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease). New research suggests that, for women with high blood pressure, having a pregnancy complication (such as early birth) further increases their risk of cardiovascular disease in future.

Researchers analysed health records of more than 1.2 million women who had given birth. They found that high blood pressure at any stage of life was linked with an increased risk of 12 cardiovascular diseases (including stroke and heart attack), as expected. The risk was even higher for women who also had complications during pregnancy. This was true even after controlling for ethnicity, number of pregnancies, and family history of cardiovascular disease.

The NIHR have published this plain language summary of this  study - please click on the link for the summary: Pregnancy complications increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke in women with high blood pressure