Dyslipoproteinaemia in postmenopausal women with a history of eclampsia.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To test the hypothesis that postmenopausal women with a history of eclampsia manifest a more high risk lipid profile than postmenopausal women with a history of normal pregnancy.

SETTING:

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland, and the Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

PARTICIPANTS:

Thirty Icelandic women with a history of eclampsia, aged between 50 and 67 years at the time of re-examination (cases) were individually matched for current age, and for age and parity at index pregnancy, to 30 unrelated Icelandic women with a history of normal pregnancy (controls).

METHODS:

The participating women completed a health and family history questionnaire and underwent a physical examination. Fasting plasma low density lipoprotein diameter, serum lipids, insulin, and glucose were measured.

RESULTS:

Mean low density lipoprotein size was significantly smaller and apolipoprotein B concentration was higher in women with prior eclampsia. The percentage of cases receiving blood pressure medication (33%) was significantly greater than controls (6.7%). Thirteen cases had had hypertensive complications in at least one other pregnancy (recurrent subgroup); postmenopausally, these women displayed significantly increased diastolic blood pressures, smaller-sized low density lipoprotein, increased apolipoprotein B, decreased high density lipoprotein2 (HDL2) cholesterol, and increased total cholesterol: HDL cholesterol ratio compared with their controls. Fourteen cases were normotensive in all other pregnancies (nonrecurrent); these showed no differences from their controls.

CONCLUSIONS:

Dyslipoproteinaemia is more prevalent among postmenopausal women with prior eclampsia, especially with recurrent hypertension in pregnancy, than in postmenopausal women with prior normal pregnancies.

• Authors: C A Hubel, S Snaedal, R B Ness, L A Weissfeld, R T Geirsson, J M Roberts, R Arngrímsson
• Journal: BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology (BJOG) Vol. 107 Issue 6 Pg. 776-84 (Jun 2000) ISSN: 1470-0328 [Print] England
• PMID: 10847235 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Blood Glucose
• Insulin
• Lipids
• Lipoproteins, LDL

Topics

• Aged
• Blood Glucose (metabolism)
• Cardiovascular Diseases (blood, complications)
• Eclampsia (blood, complications)
• Female
• Humans
• Hypolipoproteinemias (blood, complications)
• Insulin (blood)
• Lipids (blood)
• Lipoproteins, LDL (blood)
• Middle Aged
• Postmenopause (blood)
• Pregnancy
• Risk Factors