Thus, pregnancy complications such as preterm birth, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy or preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes are susceptibility factors and predictors for other diseases later in life associated with increased risk of mortality.
Pregnancy, a critical event for women, with lifelong implications
The study is led by a team from Singapore, where approximately 15 to 20% of pregnancies are complicated by gestational diabetes, 5 to 10% by hypertensive disorders and more than 10% by premature delivery. So the researchers asked how can pregnancy complications tell us about the risks of disease and death later in life? The team of Dr Cuilin Zhang, Director of the Global Center for Asian Women’s Health, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), with researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) therefore looked at the association between these complications and the risk of long-term mortality in more than 45,000 pregnant women. The analysis reveals that:
- participants who have experienced a common pregnancy complication have an increased risk of mortality during the 50 years following pregnancy;
- in particular, pregnancies complicated by preterm delivery, hypertensive disorders, or gestational diabetes are associated with a 7% to 109%, 9% to 32%, and 14% higher risk of all-cause mortality, respectively ;
- participants who delivered preterm appear to have specific causes of death, with this association requiring further investigation;
- all-cause mortality is also found to be higher in women who have undergone caesarean section;
- spontaneous preterm birth is associated with increased mortality from cardiovascular disease;
- preterm delivery related to premature rupture of the membrane or induced prematurity is also associated with increased mortality from diabetes, renal or respiratory disease.
It is essential to better understand the causes of preterm birth in order to better predict the risks of future diseases and mortality.write the researchers.
“Pregnancy is a true early stress test for cardiometabolic health
mother’s underlying health, as several major pregnancy complications are linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the implications of pregnancy complications on chronic disease and long-term mortality in women remain understudied.
Pending future studies to identify the mechanisms involved, the conclusion is to take into account early events, including pregnancy in women, and start young and early on the prevention of complications or possible diseases, for better longevity in good health.