Thadhani and colleagues looked at more than 15,000 women who were part of the national Nurses Health Study II, which is based at the Harvard School of Public Health. When the study began in 1989, the women were aged 25 to 42 years had delivered at least one baby, and had no reported history of high blood pressure. They completed questionnaires every two years with self-reported information about body weight and history of elevated cholesterol levels, verified with medical records. The researchers confirmed 86 cases of preeclampsia. A history of elevated cholesterol was not associated with the risk of developing gestational hypertension.
Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure that develops during a pregnancy.
This may be a potentially modifiable risk factor. Thadhani is continuing to research the link between preeclampsia and high cholesterol. He plans to study 8,000 women who seek prenatal care at Massachusetts General Hospital over the next five years. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.