February 3, 2014

Science Daily/Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Obesity during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for long-term cardiovascular morbidity, and these complications tend to occur at a younger age. Researchers concluded that obese pregnant patients might benefit from cardiovascular risk screening that could lead to early detection and secondary prevention of cardiovascular morbidity.

Obesity is considered a chronic disease with a dramatic increase in its prevalence worldwide during the last two decades. Close to one-third of women of childbearing age are classified as obese, and an additional 25 percent of women in this age group are classified as overweight. Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity is a significant risk factor for adverse obstetrical and perinatal outcomes.

The objective of this study, titled "Obesity in Pregnancy; What's Next? Long-term cardiovascular morbidity in a follow-up period of more than a decade," was to investigate whether obesity in pregnancy is an independent risk factor for long-term subsequent maternal cardiovascular morbidity during a follow-up period of more than a decade.

During the period of study, 46,688 women who delivered were recruited, and of that number, 1221 were found to suffer from obesity. Ten years later, these patients had higher rates of simple cardiovascular events, non-invasive diagnostic procedures, and total number of cardiovascular-related hospitalizations.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140203084529.htm