Hypertension and factors associated with metabolic syndrome at follow-up at 15 years in women with hypertensive disease during first pregnancy

Objectives: To study the possibility of identifiable factors at or close to pregnancy that could predict hypertension later in life. To evaluate if wo men with hypertensive disease in their first pregnancy and who later develo p hypertension also have characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. Methods: Case control study of a cohort of women with hypertension diagnose d in first pregnancy (n = 46) and controls without hypertension in pregnanc y (n = 47), studied 15 years after the index pregnancy. Blood pressure, ant ihypertensive drug treatment, body parameters, blood glucose, serum insulin , and serum lipids were analyzed. Results: In the study group, 43% had hypertension compared to 4% in the con trol group. Among the women in the study group with more than one pregnancy , there was a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension if pregnancy- induced hypertension was repeated in a later pregnancy. There were also sig nificantly higher waist/hip ratios and fasting plasma levels of insulin in the study group. Conclusion: Hypertension in pregnancy is a strong predictor of hypertension Inter in life. Other factors related to hypertension and present at pregna ncy are not useful in selecting a high-risk group. In a proportion of cases , the metabolic syndrome might be related to the hypertensive disease in pr egnancy.