A follow-up study of women with a history of severe preeclampsia: relationship between metabolic syndrome and preeclampsia

Background Women with a history of preeclampsia have twice the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and there is a graded relationship between the severity of preeclampsia and the risk of cardiac disease. Moreover, metabolic scores are associated with developing preeclampsia. However, since there are no diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome during pregnancy and pregnant women undergo metabolic changes, it is difficult to elucidate the relationship between preeclampsia and metabolic syndrome. We carried out a cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and preeclampsia among women with a history of severe preeclampsia shortly after an indexed pregnancy. Methods We recruited 62 women with a history of severe preeclampsia 1 to 3 years after an indexed pregnancy. Blood pressure and body compositional indices were recorded. Fasting blood samples were tested for glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic data including pre-pregnancy weight and family history of diseases associated with cardiovascular diseases. Criteria for metabolic syndrome were defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III 2001 (NCEP III) and International Diabetes Federation 2005 (IDF). Data were analyzed by the alpha(2) test and multivariate Logistic regression. Results According to NCEP III and IDF standards, 17 (27%) and 24 (39%) women, respectively, were identified as having metabolic syndrome. Being overweight pre-pregnancy and currently overweight were risk factors, and currently overweight was an independent risk factor. A combination of blood pressure and waist circumference was predictive of metabolic syndrome with a sensitivity of 91.67% and specificity of 94.74%. Conclusions An unfavorable metabolic constitution in women may lead to metabolic syndrome, preeclampsia, and long-term cardiovascular disease. In women with severe preeclampsia, therapeutic interventions should include weight-control shortly after pregnancy, especially among women who were previously overweight. Chin Med J 2011;124(5):775-779