Preeclampsia a risk factor for future ischemic stroke

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Preeclampsia is recognized as a risk factor for stroke during pregnancy, but researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta report that preeclampsia is also a risk factor for future ischemic stroke beyond pregnancy.

In a study published in the April issue of Stroke, Dr. David W. Brown and colleagues used data from the Stroke Prevention in Young Women Study to assess the independent association of preclampsia and stroke in women between the ages of 15-44. They identified 261 cases of ischemic stroke among nonpregnant women in the study group and 416 randomly chosen controls.

There was a history of preeclampsia in 15% of cases and in 10% of controls. The odds ratio of stroke after a pregnancy complicated with preeclampsia was 1.59. After adjusting for age, race, education and number of pregnancies, women with a history of preeclampsia were 60% more likely to have an ischemic stroke not related to pregnancy. Symptoms of preeclampsia - specifically, high blood pressure and proteinuria during pregnancy - were also associated with risk of ischemic stroke later in life.

Dr. Brown's team saw evidence that the link between preeclampsia and ischemic stroke may be at least partially related to underlying hypertension.

While the pathology explaining the link is unknown, the team writes that the findings indicate that women with preeclampsia should be targeted "for close risk factor monitoring and control beyond the postpartum period" to reduce risk of ischemic stroke.